You Can (Not) LOVE
by NazoFox2501
Summary: When Shinji runs away, he finds himself in the Underground. As he tries to find the way back, he will learn the values of friendship and love, and even learn that he can love himself. Maybe this time, he will find happiness.
1. 3-1

_**Evangelion**_ **: the popular series that's hard to write fanfiction on.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: the popular series that's easy to write fanfiction on.**

 **This fanfiction: is going to be hard to write due to the high risk of OOCness. Seriously, even after watching the films and doing research, I can't get the** _ **Evangelion**_ **cast entirely right.**

* * *

 _I have to go back._

Shinji kept thinking this even though his steps took him further and further away from Tokyo 3. He was currently walking down a nature trail in the country. He never gave his path any conscious thought; his feet just took him there while he secluded himself in his mind.

 _They're probably looking for me; wanting me to pilot the Eva again._

He had originally wandered around the city, but the noise became too much for him and he moved his wanderings to the country. The sounds of the birds and cicadas were preferable to people. Out here, he was alone.

" _I musn't run away"…so much for that._

Up ahead, he could see Mt. Ebott. It had never attracted his attention before, but seeing it on the horizon, Shinji felt a sudden twinge of déjà vu. He felt like he had walked down this path before, and something about the mountain called out to him. His curiosity piqued, he decided to go there.

There were stories about Mt. Ebott, like how children went missing and were never seen again. Old folklore said that they were spirited away by ghosts or demons, but that was all it was: folklore. Even though he had no reason to believe in them when there were Angels to worry about, the thought still lingered in Shinji's mind as he climbed the mountain.

His foot caught something and he found himself stumbling forward. He expected to fall flat on the ground, but he found himself tumbling downwards. Something struck his head and he fell unconscious.

* * *

When Shinji woke up, he half expected to see an unfamiliar ceiling. Instead, he saw the stars and the moon high above him. He saw all this through a hole in a cavern. He had to have been out for a couple of hours if the moon was up now. He sat up and noticed that he was lying on a bed of yellow flowers. He also noticed a sharp pain on his head. He rubbed the sore spot and touched something wet: blood. He now worried that he was trapped in the cavern.

He cursed his stupidity for leaving his phone behind. When he left, he didn't want to be bothered by phone calls from Misato, and now he was regretting his decision. Combined with the fact that no one knew where he was, Shinji knew that no one was coming to rescue him.

 _So I just wait until I die? Is there no other way out?_

Shinji got to his feet and decided to look around. The moonlight offered little visibility, but further down, he thought he could see another ray of moonlight. He decided to walk towards it.

In the patch of moonlight was a single, yellow flower. It was bigger than the others, and it had a smiling face. Shinji did not know what to think when he saw it, and he certainly didn't know what to say when it spoke.

"Howdy!" The flower said. "I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower!"

Shinji stared at it in silence.

"Hmm…you're new to the Underground, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be so confused!"

"I…I am." Shinji admitted.

"Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. First, you see that heart in front of your chest?"

Shinji glanced down and gasped when he saw a glowing red heart hovering in front of him. He didn't know how he had failed to notice this earlier. He lightly touched it and found it to be warm.

"That is your soul, the very culmination of your being." Flowey explained.

"My soul? But why is it out here?"

"Because that's how it works for humans, unlike monsters."

"M-monsters?"

"Now, your soul starts off weak, but it can grow strong if you get a lot of LV."

"LV?"

"LOVE, of course! You want LOVE, don't you?"

Shinji lowered his head. He did want love, but…

"Of course you do!" Flowey went on. "I'll share some with you!"

Little white pellets suddenly appeared around the flower.

"Around here, LOVE is shared through little white 'friendliness pellets'. Now, try to catch as many as you can!"

Before Shinji could question it, the pellets flew towards him. Out of instinct, he moved out of the way. Flowey narrowed his eyes at this action.

"Hey, why did you move?" He asked.

"S-sorry."

"Well, try again."

More pellets appeared and flew towards Shinji. This time, he allowed them to make contact with his heart. Pain suddenly overtook him and he dropped to his hands and knees. His chest ached and felt like it was about to burst. He looked at Flowey and saw that his cheerful smile had turned into a malicious grin.

"You idiot." Flowey said. "In this world, it's kill or be killed. Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?!"

Shinji gaped as a ring of pellets appeared and surrounded him. He was in too much pain to get up and run. Instead, he could only stare at Flowey disbelievingly.

"Why?" He asked.

"Die."

The flower laughed as the ring of pellets slowly closed in on Shinji.

 _Move! Move!_

Out of nowhere, a hovering ring of fire appeared and closed in on the pellets. As soon as they had made contact, they both vanished. A fireball flew from the far end of the cavern and hit Flowey. He shrieked in pain and sunk into the earth. From the darkness, a lone figure stepped out.

She moved and looked like a human, yet she had white fur and a goat's head. She wore white and purple robes and had a worried look on her face. Shinji knew that she was the one who had saved him.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth." She said. "Do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

"T-thank you." Shinji said. He tried to move again, only to be met with more pain.

"Here, let me help you."

Toriel approached Shinji and knelt in front of him. She reached out and lightly touched his soul. Though he flinched at first, he could feel a wave of soothing energy flow throughout his body. The pain melted away and he was able to stand up again.

"You are the first human to come here in a long time." Toriel said. "Come. I will guide you through the catacombs."

Toriel walked back into the darkness. Shinji hesitated. Yes, she had saved him from Flowey, but how did he know she wouldn't try to kill him, too? In the past minute, he had discovered that the old folklore of Mt. Ebott was true. There were actual demons—no, monsters, in this Underground.

 _And no one was ever seen again…_

"Are you coming?" Toriel called out.

Shinji decided that following Toriel was better than standing around and waiting to die. He followed her and kept his guard up. At the first sign of danger, he would just run away.

 _That's all I'm good at anyways…_


	2. 3-2

_**Evangelion**_ **: doesn't leave much room for shenanigans.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: has a lot of room for shenanigans.**

 **This fanfiction: will have shenanigans. Also, because it's my favorite word, I'll write it again: shenanigans.**

* * *

Shinji saw that Toriel had led him to some old ruins. Lit torches lined the walls, providing much needed light. Shinji looked at his new guide and wondered where she was taking him. They entered a room with a closed door and several switches on the floor.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one." Toriel said.

"Home?" Shinji asked.

"These ruins are full of puzzles; ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room."

She stepped over a few switches and the door opened up. She walked up to the doorway, but stopped to look at Shinji.

"Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

He nodded and followed her to the next room.

This room was a corridor with small waterways running next to the floor. In addition to torches, there were also three levers on the leftmost wall. On the floor was a light purple pathway that lead both straight ahead and off to the left. There was an open doorway at the end, but the way was blocked by spikes jutting out of the floor.

"I'd like you to try this next one." Toriel said. "To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones you need to flip."

She walked to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the spikes. Shinji looked at the levers and saw that two of them had yellow writing next to them. He went up to the first switch and read the words: "Flip this one".

 _It was nice of her to label which ones to flip, but I can't help but feel like I'm being coddled._

He flipped the lever, then went to the other labeled one and flipped it too. The spikes retreated into the ground. Toriel nodded in approval and went into the next room. Shinji followed her.

The room was small and had only a dummy in it. Toriel stood next to the dummy and said, "As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you."

"A-attack me?" Shinji gulped and thought back to the encounter with Flowey. "So I need to learn how to defend myself?"

"Yes, but it's really simple. When you enter a fight, just strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time and I will come to resolve the conflict. Now, try practice talking to the dummy."

"Talk? But what if they don't listen? What if they try to kill me, like Flowey?"

"I won't be too far, and if nothing else works, you can run."

 _Run away…of course…_

Shinji walked up to the dummy. It was stitched together with white fabric and had a very neutral expression on its face. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he had no idea what to say.

"I…uh…"

The dummy seemed to stare at him with its button eyes.

"…he…he…"

 _It's just a dummy, Shinji. Just say something already._

All of a sudden, the dummy floated into the air and drifted away into the next room. Both Shinji and Toriel were dumbfounded.

"Um…" Toriel blinked. "Let's move on."

Shinji nodded and followed her into the next room. Strangely enough, there was no sign of the dummy. This one had a light purple path, though it had several bends in it, and it led nowhere. He kept this in mind as he followed Toriel to another corridor.

He stopped when he heard something croak behind him.

He turned around and saw a large frog hop towards him. It looked pretty timid, yet it continued to hop. It looked harmless enough, but Shinji wasn't going to let his guard down again, not after he was nearly killed by a flower.

"S-stop." He told it, trying to sound brave.

Surprisingly enough, it did just that. It cast its eyes downward and it turned around and hopped away. Shinji turned around and saw that Toriel was right behind him.

 _The monsters must be scared of her._

"Thank you." He told her.

"You are welcome." She smiled.

Continuing down the corridor, he saw a sign that read: "The western room is the eastern room's blueprint". When they reached the other room, he saw that the entire floor was covered in spikes.

"This is the puzzle," Toriel said, "but…here, take my hand for a moment."

She reached to take Shinji's hand, but the moment they touched, he yanked it back. He shook his head.

"Child, what is wrong?"

"…Sorry," he said, "can I just follow you?"

"…Very well, but stay close, okay?"

He nodded again. She approached some of the spikes and, to his surprise, they retreated into the ground. Toriel walked over the now safe floor and he followed close behind. She made a few turns as she walked, and he realized that she was following the path in the previous room. It did not take them long to reach the end.

"Puzzles seem a little dangerous for now." She told him.

The next corridor was very long and had only a single pillar at the end.

"You have done excellently thus far, my child," she said, "however, I have a difficult request to ask of you. I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Please, forgive me."

She briskly walked down the corridor, leaving Shinji behind.

 _Why does she think this will be difficult?_

He walked down the corridor until he had caught up with Toriel at the very end.

"Thank you for trusting me." She said. "There was a reason for this exercise: to test your independence."

"I'm fine." Shinji said. "I can handle myself."

"Well…if you're sure, then can you wait here? There is business I must attend to. Here, I'll give you a cellphone."

She took out a cellphone and handed it to Shinji. Looking it over, he saw that it was an old model, yet it was still functional.

 _Now I can call for help!_

"My number is in there if you need to contact me. Be good, alright?"

"I'll be fine." Shinji said again.

Toriel smiled and went on ahead. He opened the cellphone and immediately dialed Misato's number. The phone rang a few times, but nobody picked up.

 _Huh? Did I dial it wrong?_

He tried again, but the end result was the same.

 _Misato always has her phone on her, there's no way she_ can't _answer._

He wondered if the phone was broken. He looked through the directory and found a single name: "Toriel". He selected it. The phone only rang two times before a voice spoke on the line.

"Hello?" Toriel said. "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no," Shinji said, "just seeing if the phone worked."

"Well, it works; now you know. Talk to you soon."

She hung up. Shinji looked at the phone for a minute before closing it.

 _So it can't make calls above ground, but it can make calls here?_

He looked at the doorway Toriel went through.

 _She told me to wait here, but what if a monster comes?_

He decided to take his chances. He went into the next room and saw a pile of red leaves on the floor. Sitting in the pile was another frog. It looked at him, but it didn't make any movements. Shinji slowly walked past the frog. It croaked and he froze in place.

"Human," it spoke, "you don't like fighting, do you?"

"N-no." He answered.

"You know, not all monsters want to fight. If they don't want to fight, then please, show mercy and spare them."

"I…alright."

Shinji was about to go to the next room when the phone suddenly rang. He opened it and hoped that it was Misato. However, he saw that it was Toriel. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello," Toriel said back, "you haven't left the room, have you?"

"Uh…"

"There are a few more puzzles that I have yet to explain, and it would be dangerous for you to try to solve them on your own. Be good, alright?"

"I…I will."

She hung up again. He went into the next room and saw what looked like a bug with arms, legs, and wings. It spotted Shinji and fled. Feeling relieved that he didn't have to do anything, he continued on.

The floor suddenly gave way and he fell down. He let out a startled yell and he found himself landing on his rear. Fortunately, the fall wasn't too far, so Shinji didn't injure himself this time. The new room he was in was small, but had two doors. He opted to go through the one that was in front of him.

The room after that had spikes blocking the way, but it also had what looked like a switch on the ground. Next to the switch was a large rock. On the wall was a sign that read: "Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them".

The phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hello again." Toriel greeted. "Um, for no reason in particular, which do you prefer: cinnamon or butterscotch?"

"Huh? Uh, butterscotch?"

"Oh, I see. Thank you very much. Um, you do not _dislike_ cinnamon, do you? I mean, if it showed up on your plate, would you turn it away?"

"No, I like cinnamon, too."

"Okay. Thank you for being patient with me, child."

" _Child", again. Oh, but I never told her my name._

"Wait."

"Is something wrong?"

"…Shinji. My name is Shinji Ikari."

"That's right: I've forgotten to ask your name! How silly of me. You have a nice name, Shinji. Be good and wait just a little bit longer, alright?"

"Toriel, I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, but I can't help but worry. Talk to you soon, Shinji."

She hung up yet again. Shinji went up to the rock and pushed it onto the switch. As expected, the spikes lowered themselves, clearing the way. He went into the next room and stopped. Nearly every square inch of the floor had cracks on them.

 _There's no way I can cross this. Wait, Toriel passed through here, so there's got to be a safe path._

He cautiously placed a foot on one spot of the floor. When it didn't give way, he placed his full weight on it. Nothing happened. He took another careful step, but the part of the floor he stepped on crumbled, its pieces falling down below.

 _Okay, just take it slow._

It took him a long time to get across the room, but he didn't fall through once. The next room had more spikes blocking the way. There were three switches and three rocks, and it was obvious what he had to do. He stepped in the room and noticed that there was something else in the room with him.

It looked like jello, and it was alive. Its form jiggled as it slid towards Shinji.

"W-wait." He said. "I don't want to fight you."

It stopped for a few seconds, but then resumed its advance. White pellets appeared next to it and fired themselves at Shinji. He ducked, weaved, and dodged with ease, though he felt his movements were a little awkward. The jello made squishy noises and wiggled in place. They stared at each other, waiting for someone to make the next move.

The jello made more noises and moved away from Shinji. He watched as it slid into the previous room, leaving a faint trail of slime behind, as well as a couple of gold coins. He didn't know what made it leave, but he was glad he came out of that encounter unscathed. He picked up the coins and looked at one closely. On one side was the face of a bearded goat monster. The other side showed a castle.

 _So monsters have their own currency._

He pocketed the coins and stared pushing the rocks onto the switches. He was about to move the third one when a voice suddenly said, "Whoa, there, pardner! Who said you could push me around?"

"Huh?" Shinji backed away from the rock. "You can talk?"

"Of course I can talk! You've never seen a talking rock before?"

"Well, no. I…I just wanted to move you to that switch."

"That switch over there? Sure I can move, but only if you ask nicely."

"Um…can you please move onto that switch?"

"That's more like it!"

The rock moved itself until it was on top of the switch. The spikes lowered themselves. Shinji was about to walk across the floor when they suddenly shot back up. He looked back and saw that the rock had moved off the switch.

"I needed to get across." He said. "Could you please, um, stay on the switch, just until I get to the other side?"

"Oh, so you wanted me to _stay_ there." The rock said. "Alright."

It moved back onto the switch and the spikes were lowered once again. Shinji make it across without any other issues. The next room was small and only had a table with a piece of cheese on it. Curious as to why it was there, he tried to pick it up, but found that it was stuck on the table.

Something squeaked nearby.

He turned around, expecting to see another monster, but it was just a mouse poking its nose out of its mouse hole. It squeaked again and retreated further in the hole. He looked at the cheese again and decided to leave it. The next corridor was narrow and straightforward, except for one thing.

There was a ghost lying in the middle of it, blocking the way.

 _Ghosts exist? Well, I've already seen monsters…_

Shinji cautiously approached it and asked, "Uh…can you please move?"

"Zzzzzzzzzz."

"I need to get by."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

"…I know you're not asleep. You're just saying 'z'."

"…What's the point?"

The ghost sniffled and tears flew out of its eyes. They hovered briefly in the air before launching themselves at Shinji. He ducked out of the way.

"P-please don't cry." Shinji tried to console him.

He sniffled again and the tears stopped.

 _I…should talk to him._

"I…my name is Shinji. What's your name?"

"My…name?" The ghost asked. "…Napstablook." He sniffled again.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm…not feeling up to anything…sorry."

"Um, you don't have to apologize." Shinji forced himself to smile. "What will cheer you up?"

"Cheer? Um…keep talking…please?"

 _So he just wants someone to talk to…_

"I…I'm not from around here, and I need to get out of here."

"Yeah…it's pretty boring here…I'd leave too, if I could…"

"Why don't you?"

"…You don't know. There's this…barrier…that monsters can't cross…not without…oh, but I don't want to make you depressed."

"Can I get through it?"

"…Yes, but…no, I don't want to make you sad."

"You're not making me sad, Naptsablook. Uh, in fact, I feel better."

"You…do?"

"There's a way out, and I can go back…"

… _Home? Do I even call Misato's place "home"?_

"I…I feel better too…" Napstablook said. "Hey…watch this…"

More tears came out of his eyes, but they flew up towards his head. They came together and formed a hat. He said, "I call it a 'Dapperblook'. Do…do you like it?"

Shinji nodded. "I didn't know you could do that. It's neat."

"Yeah…it is. I…I know you're leaving, but…can we be…friends?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Thank you. Oh…I'm in your way. I'll move. I guess…see you soon, Shinji?"

He nodded again and Napstablook vanished. Shinji walked down the corridor, though he slowed his pace.

 _Friend...I wonder if Rei misses me. Father's probably mad. Misato…yeah, I'm pretty sure she's mad, too. They'll probably make me pilot the EVA again if I come back. Where will I go once I get out of here? …I have to go back. I can't keep running away._


	3. 3-3

_**Evangelion**_ **: has complex characters.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: has simple characters…at first glance.**

 **This fanfiction: will most likely botch up** _ **Evangelion**_ **'s cast.**

* * *

"Spider Bake Sale. Food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders. All proceeds go to real spiders."

Shinji read the sign in the tiny room. He looked at the cobwebs and saw that, in addition to many tiny spiders, there were also two types of products on display: donuts and cider. He reread the sign.

… _Of spiders? I'm hungry, but not that hungry. Well, I'll get something, just to be nice._

He took out the coins and counted eight total. He carefully set the pieces next to a donut, which cost eight gold. Several small black spiders scurried down the web and gathered around the gold.

"Uh, one, please." Shinji said.

The spiders pushed the donut towards him, then took the gold away. He carefully picked it up and sniffed it. He couldn't identify the smell, but it wasn't pleasant. He hung onto it as he moved to the next room.

Cowering in a corner was another monster. It was short, had horns, and one big eye. It stared at Shinji and mumbled something.

"What?" He asked.

"I said don't pick on me!" The monster shouted.

White rings flew out of its one eye. Shinji dodged with ease and said, "I'm not here to pick on you!"

The monster stopped attacking. "Finally, someone gets it."

"Um, why would anyone pick on you?"

"I don't know, but if they pick on me, I pick on them."

"You…you shouldn't pick on anyone."

"But everyone else picks on me."

"You don't have to listen to them, you know."

"…You're nice. Can…can we be friends?"

"Sure." Shinji offered the donut. "Here."

"A spider donut? For me? Thanks."

The monster grinned and ate the donut in one bite. He asked, "See you around?"

Shinji nodded. Still grinning, the monster walked away.

 _Seems like a lot of monsters just want friends. Just like me…_

The next room was big and had six cracks on the floor. There were rectangular holes on the walls close to the ceiling, but they were out of reach. A nearby sign read: "There is just one switch". As usual, the other end of the room was blocked by spikes. Shinji looked around, but didn't see a switch.

 _Wait, do I have to step onto one of those cracks?_

He cautiously approached one of them. He pressed one foot down until the floor gave away. He crouched and peeked into the floor. There was indeed a room below, but he couldn't see a switch from where he was at. He moved so that he could grip the edge of the hole. He lowered himself and allowed himself to hang for a second before letting go.

The room had a pile of red leaves and a doorway, but no switch. He went through the doorway and found a single ladder going up. He climbed it until he reached the top. He looked forward and realized that he was looking through one of the rectangular holes. He crawled through it and dropped back into the previous room.

 _Okay, I feel better knowing I can come back up and try again._

He repeated the earlier process with another crack. In the room below, there was a root poking out of the ground. Hoping that he had finally found something to eat, he pulled it up.

He screamed and dropped it when he saw that it had a face.

"Farmed locally, very locally." It said with a grin.

 _Another monster?!_

"I-I'm sorry!" Shinji quickly apologized. "I was hungry and I thought you were—."

"Hungry? Eat your greens!"

Many white carrots appeared next to it, as well as one green carrot. They bounced at Shinji, but he moved out of the way. He said, "I said I'm sorry! Don't attack me!"

"Greens!" The vegetoid sounded mad. "Eat your greens!"

More carrots appeared, as well as the green one.

 _Wait, so he wants me to get the green one?_

This time around, he grabbed the green carrot while he dodged the rest. The moment it touched his hand, it vanished and Shinji felt slightly better. He felt like he had regained some of his lost stamina, though he was still hungry.

"Part of a complete breakfast!" The vegetoid grinned once more.

It hopped over to the hole where it was pulled out and buried itself into the earth.

 _So it wanted to help? Then why send out all those attacks?_

Shinji shook his head and went through another doorway. Once again, he climbed a ladder and found himself in the upper room. He stepped on a third crack and looked down the hole.

Lying on a pile of red leaves was Napstablook.

"Oh…" He said. "Hello, Shinji."

"What are you doing down there?" Shinji asked.

"I fell through and I can't get back up…"

"Is there a doorway with a ladder? What about a switch?"

"No switch…oh, wait…I forgot I could fly…"

Napstablook drifted upwards until he was in the upper room with Shinji.

"…oh well…"

He vanished. Shinji went to the fourth crack, stepped on it, and went down. This time, there was a switch on the wall. He pulled it, then made his way back up.

He was about to enter the next room when everything suddenly began to shake. He instinctively ducked and covered his head. Bits of rubble fell from the ceiling, but none of them hit him. It stopped in less than a minute.

 _An earthquake? No, that ended too quickly. Wait, what if it was an Angel?! And I'm not there to pilot the Eva! Rei…can Rei handle it on her own? What if she can't? I have to go back!_

He tried to calm himself down as he proceeded forward.

The next several rooms had pillars with colored switches behind them. There were signs that said which switches to activate, so he didn't see how this was a puzzle. He was near the end when he came across two monsters. One was the jello monster while the other looked like a very large cockroach.

"HEED THE SWARM!" The cockroach commanded.

The jello only shook.

The next thing he knew, Shinji had to dodge both white pellets and a swarm of tiny insects. He was fortunately able to dodge them, but he was glad no one was looking, otherwise someone might have made a joke that he was dancing. The jello shook again and left, leaving slime and coins behind.

The cockroach suddenly smiled and said, "Nothin' like alone time!"

He waved his arms like he didn't have a care in the world. Shinji was surprised at this sudden change of personality. He cautiously asked, "Are you alright?"

"Feelin' good!" He answered. "I just love alone time! Mm, chaaa chaaa chaaa!"

"So, you don't want to fight anymore?"

"Nah."

Satisfied with the strange outcome, Shinji picked up the coins and left the monster to dance on his own.

The next room seemed to be the last. In the middle of it was a dead tree surrounded by red leaves. Past that was a little stone house. Toriel walked out of the front door.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought." She said to herself. "I should give—."

She now noticed Shinji and walked up to him.

"Shinji? How did you get here? Are you hurt?"

"No." He answered. "I-I'm sorry I left, Toriel. I just didn't want to be alone and—."

"No, I'm sorry. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this." She paused. "Well, now that you're here, I can show you the surprise."

"Surprise?"

"Yes, come inside."

They went into the house.

It was surprisingly cozy inside. There were lights, furniture, and few vases and paintings that gave it the homely touch. There were rooms to the right and left as well as a staircase leading down. Shinji sniffed the air and he could tell that something was baking.

"Do you smell it?" Toriel asked. "I'm baking a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I've also made dinner to celebrate your arrival."

"Celebrate?" Shinji was confused.

"There's one more thing. Follow me."

She went to the right and stopped in front of a door. She said, "You also have your very own room. I hope you like it."

"A room of my own?"

Shinji opened the door and looked inside. There was a simple bed, a drawer, and a box full of toys. It was obviously a room meant for a younger child.

"T-thank you."

 _Why? Does she expect me to live here?_

"I'll fix you a plate." Toriel said. "Do you like quiche?"

"I've never had it before."

"I think you'll like it. Come to the living room when you're ready to eat."

She walked to the other end of the house. Shinji stared into the room.

 _She's nice, but I can't stay here, not when everyone needs me._

He decided that he would talk to her after he ate. He went to the living room. It had a lit fireplace, bookshelves, a dinner table, and a plush recliner. Toriel came back from the kitchen and placed two plates on the table, each with a slice of quiche on it.

"Thank you for the meal." Shinji said as he sat down.

Toriel also sat down and they began to eat. The quiche had egg, bacon, and cheese, so Shinji felt like he was having breakfast. It was actually pretty good compared to all the takeout food Misato bought.

 _A home cooked meal…Toriel's like a mom…_

"Um, Toriel?" Shinji said. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Shinji?"

"Do you…have any children?"

Toriel stopped eating and lowered her head. "I…used to, but…"

Shinji immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's just that…you really act like a mom at times."

"I do. Does it bother you?"

"No, not all. I actually like it."

"Oh, but I'm sure I can't compare to your own mother, Shinji."

Now it was Shinji's turn to lower his head. "Actually, my mom…well…she...when I was little…"

Toriel seemed to understand what he was trying to say. "Oh, Shinji, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"And my dad doesn't even—."

 _Why am I saying all this? I haven't known her for that long, and yet—._

"…I'm sorry."

He stood up and went to his new room. He closed the door and went to the bed. It was a little small for him, so he had to curl his body in a fetal position. Then again, he would have done that even if the bed was the right size. He rested his head on the pillow and faced the wall.

 _I can't get close to her. I have to leave. I have to go back. If I get close…it hurts…it hurts so much…!_

Shinji spent several minutes like that. Eventually, the door cracked open, but he didn't turn his head. He only looked once he heard the door close. Sitting by the door was a plate with a slice of pie and a tiny fork on it. He slowly got off the bed and walked up to it. He carried the plate back to the bed.

 _Butterscotch and cinnamon._

He took a bite.

… _It's really good._

It didn't take long for him to finish it. He set the plate on the floor and took out his SDAT. He put the ear buds in and played track 25. He curled up on the bed once more and isolated himself in his mind, where all he could hear was his thoughts and his music.

* * *

Gendo Ikari sat at his desk, lost in his thoughts.

The pilot of Eva-01 had been missing for twenty-four hours and he was now declared a missing person. Nerv officials looked all over Tokyo 3 and checked all the train surveillance tapes. Judging by those tapes, he was last at one of the poorer sections of the city, yet he was nowhere to be found. They were about to search the countryside when the Sixth Angel appeared.

Misato came up the plan to use a positron rifle to breach the Angel's AT Field, though with only one Eva and its pilot present, the chances were slim. The pilot of Eva-00, Rei Ayanami, was able to use the rifle to destroy the Angel, though its attacks nearly cost her her life. With her temporarily unable to pilot and Shinji missing, he had to call in for Eva- 02 and its pilot.

 _Things would have gone better if he hadn't run away._

The door opened up and he lifted his head to see who it was. It was Fuyutsuki.

"Report." Gendo said.

"There's news regarding Tabgha Base." Fuyutsuki said with an unnerved look on his face.

"Are there complications with Evangelion Mark 06?"

"It's not the Eva; it's the pilot. He found about the Third Child's disappearance from Seele and…he's nowhere to be found on the moon. I don't know how that's possible."

 _Given what he is, I'm not surprised he was able to leave, but now we have two pilots missing. You…are you trying to look for him?_


	4. 3-4

_**Evangelion**_ **: is filled with depression.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: is filled with determination.**

 **This fanfiction: is filled with sugar, butterscotch, cinnamon, snips, snail pies, and Annoying Dog tails.**

* * *

Shinji opened his eyes. He hadn't meant to doze off, but it turned out he was more tired than he thought. He removed his earbuds and sat up. He noticed that the light was out. Toriel must have switched them off.

 _She's really looking after me, but…_

He got out of bed and left the room. He found Toriel sitting on the recliner with a book in her hand. Upon hearing his approach, she lowered the book and smiled.

"Did you rest well, Shinji?" She asked.

He nodded.

"You know, I'm glad to have someone here. There's so many things I want to share with you: my old books, my favorite bug hunting spot, and all my pie recipes. I even set up a teaching curriculum for you. It may come as a surprise to you, but I've always wanted to be a teacher."

 _She really wants me to stay._

"Um, Toriel?" Shinji spoke up.

"Yes? Is there something you need?"

"You've been so kind to me, but I have to go back. There are people out there looking for me and…"

She frowned. "But Shinji, _this_ is your home now."

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't stay here."

She set her book down and stood up. She said, "Wait here. There's something I have to do."

She walked away.

"Toriel?"

Shinji followed her down the stairs and into a long corridor.

"Toriel! Wait! What are you going to do?"

"Up ahead is the end of the Ruins, and the way to the rest of the Underground. It is the only way out, and I'm going to destroy it."

"Destroy it?! Why?!"

"You're not the first child to come down here. Every one of them has met the same fate. They come. They leave. They die. If you leave the Ruins, they…Asgore, will kill you."

Shinji stopped.

"Kill me?"

"I am doing this to protect you, so please, go back."

He lowered his head and thought back to the earthquake from earlier.

 _They need me…_

He continued to follow Toriel.

"Go back." She said sternly. "This is your last warning."

They stopped in front of a door with a winged symbol on it. She turned around and faced Shinji.

"I have to go back." Shinji said again. "I…I'm worried about everyone and…"

"So you really want to go back?" Toriel asked. "Even if it means risking your life?"

He had a bad feeling about this, but he nodded anyway.

 _I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away…_

"You're just like the others. Then, you must prove yourself." She raised her hands and balls of fire appeared in them. "Prove to me that you're strong enough to survive."

Shinji's eyes widened.

"W-what?"

She flung the fireballs at him. This caught him off guard, and he was only able to dodge one of them. The other grazed his shoulder. He felt pain in both his shoulder and soul and he cried out.

"Why?!" Shinji demanded.

"Fight me or run." Toriel coldly said.

"No! I don't want to fight you, Toriel! I—!"

An image suddenly appeared in his head. In it, Toriel was covered with bruises and she had a shocked look on her face. His hands were wrapped around her throat and the life was fading from her eyes.

" _Do—do you really hate me that much?"_

Shinji screamed and clutched onto his head. He had no idea where that grim image had come from. He was too caught up with it to notice that more fire was launched at him. It directly hit his soul and he stumbled backwards. Though he didn't suffer from any actual burns, he could still feel the pain.

"Stop it!" He screamed.

"Shinji, what are you trying to prove by doing nothing?"

"I won't fight you, Toriel, not after how kind you've been to me!"

She blinked. She had more fire in her hands, yet she did nothing.

"Please…Toriel…" He stared at her with watery eyes.

The fire went out in her hands and her head drooped.

"Don't…don't look at me like that." Her voice cracked. "I know you want to go home, but…I don't want you to die out there. I can take care of you here, so please…"

"Toriel, you've been so good to me, and I really wish I could stay here, but…"

"…I understand. It would be selfish of me to keep you here, and it's like you said: there are people looking for you, people who care about you. I can't keep you away from them."

She slowly walked up to Shinji and continued, "Just go through the door behind me and you'll be out of the Ruins, but…"

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Shinji sniffled and pressed his face against her, her robe absorbing his tears.

"…don't come back."

"Toriel…thank you."

"Take care of yourself, and be good." She also sniffled. "Goodbye, Shinji."

She pulled away from the hug and walked away. Shinji watched her go until she was out of sight. He sniffled again and wiped his eyes. His heart ached, yet he forced himself to approach the doors and push them open.

He found himself walking down another long corridor. At the very end, he saw another pair of doors, as well as a familiar figure: Flowey

Shinji gulped. "You…"

"Thought I was dead?" Flowey asked. "In this world, it's kill or be killed. You, however, don't want to play by those rules. What's happened to you, Chara? You keep Loading, yet you've stopped killing everyone."

"Chara? What are you talking about? My name is Shinji."

"Shinji? Are you—ohhhh, I get it. That explains this time, and last time as well. So, you don't want to kill anyone?"

"No! What gave you that idea?!"

"Then, what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? Will you allow yourself to die over and over again? Or will you give up and let me have that power again?"

"Power?"

"The power to Save. You should already know that. After all, you went back after killing so many monsters. But, what made you go back? Did you feel guilty? Killing them? Strangling her to death?"

His face morphed into that of Toriel's. The image from earlier popped into Shinji's head again.

"W-what are you talking about? I've never killed anyone!"

"Huh? You don't remember? Strange, but," he grinned wickedly, "it'll be all the more fun when you remember. Maybe then you'll go back to your old self."

He laughed and retreated into the ground. Shinji shook his head.

 _What is he talking about? I-I haven't killed any monsters! But, why won't that image go away? Why does it feel like I've actually—?_

He felt like screaming. Things weren't making sense, yet he felt like they should. It felt like he was missing pieces to a puzzle he didn't know about.

 _No, don't think about it. Just focus on getting out._

Shinji pushed the doors open and stepped through, crossing the threshold into unknown territory.


	5. 3-5

_**Evangelion**_ **: the series that needs a happy ending.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: the game that needs spinoffs.**

 **This fanfiction: the fanfiction that needs reviews.**

* * *

Shinji didn't know what to expect once he left the Ruins, but he didn't expect to find himself in a snowy forest. He shivered at the sudden cold. Rubbing his arms, he made his way forward.

The only thing he saw so far was a large branch in the middle of the path. He looked at it and remembered Toriel's warning. He picked up a stick near the branch and gripped it tightly. It would have to do for a weapon. He stepped over the large branch and continued down the path.

He stopped when he heard a loud "snap" behind him. He turned around and saw that the branch was broken. However, there was nothing there, and no footprints in the snow other than his own to indicate that there was someone there. He now had a feeling that someone, or something, was watching him.

"Anyone there?" He called out.

Shinji was answered with silence. He became extra cautious as he continued on. He came to a bridge with what looked like a gate over it. However, the gaps were too big, so he could cross it with ease. He took a step forward.

"Human." A voice spoke from behind.

Shinji stiffened and the hairs on the back of his neck rose up.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

 _Okay, don't panic, Shinji. It doesn't sound like he wants to fight._

He slowly turned around. Standing in front of him was a short skeleton wearing a blue jacket. He extended his bony hand out to him. Shinji took it without really looking at it.

A loud noise not unlike that of a fart sounded, breaking the silence of the forest. With that noise, all tension present vanished. Shinji blinked as the skeleton withdrew his hand and showed it. In his palm was a small whoopee cushion.

"heheh," the skeleton chuckled, "the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick; it's _always_ funny. say, you're human, right? i'm sans, sans the skeleton."

 _Good, he's a friendly monster._

"I'm Shinji, Shinji Ikari." He introduced himself.

"nice to meet you, pal. actually, i'm supposed to be on watch for humans right now."

 _Oh no…_

"…but y'know, i don't really care about capturing anybody. now my brother, papyrus, he's a human hunting fanatic. actually, i think he's on his way back. follow me through this gate thingy."

Sans walked across the bridge, with Shinji following him. They arrived at a spot with a watch booth and a tall, oddly shaped lamp.

"okay, hide behind that conveniently shaped lamp." Sans told him.

"Behind the lamp?" Shinji asked.

"trust me on this."

 _It looks like he really wants to help me out._

Shinji hid behind the lamp and positioned the stick vertically so it wouldn't be seen. He peeked and saw that another skeleton had arrived. He was taller than Sans, and he wore armor and an orange scarf.

"sup, bro?" Sans greeted with a smile.

 _So that's Papyrus?_

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S UP, BROTHER!" Papyrus scolded. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS, AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at this cool lamp. do you wanna look?"

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?! I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I _MUST_ BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!"

Papyrus's expression became hopeful (puzzling Shinji, since he didn't know skeletons could show expressions).

"RESPECT, RECOGNITION…I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY FRIEND! I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!"

"hm," Sans rubbed his chin bone, "maybe this lamp will help you."

 _Sans! Are you_ trying _to give me away?!_

"SANS! YOU'RE NOT HELPING, YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!"

"hey, take it easy. i got a ton of work to do…a skele- _ton_." His eye socket closed; a wink.

Papyrus was grinning, but he continued to be angry, "SANS!"

"come on, you're smiling."

"I AM, AND I HATE IT!" He sighed. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION?"

"wow, sounds like you're working yourself…down to the _bone_." He winked again.

Shinji was surprised to find himself smiling at San's bad jokes.

 _When was the last time I smiled?_

Papyrus groaned. "I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES, AND AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE _BACKBONE_ INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

He continued to laugh as he left.

"okay," Sans said, "you can come out now."

Shinji came out of hiding. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"yeah, well." Sans shrugged.

"Thanks for helping me out, Sans."

He was about to leave when Sans said, "hey, actually, hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"i was thinking…papyrus has been kind of down lately, and he's never seen a human before. it would make his day if he saw one."

"You _want_ him to see me? But he just said that he'll capture any human he sees!"

"don't worry, he's not dangerous, even if he tries to be. i'll see you up ahead, shinji."

He nodded and went on ahead. He could see bits of the land between the trees. There was nothing but snowy fields below. Just the fact that they were below told him that he was somewhere up high.

 _This place is bigger than I thought._

A nearby tree shook and a large bird fell down. It righted itself and stared at Shinji. He noticed that its head and feathers resembled one big snowflake.

"Are you alright?" Shinji asked.

"Fine." He answered. " _Ice_ weather, isn't it?"

"Ice weather? Yeah, it's cold—."

"That was a joke!"

White crescents appeared and launched themselves at Shinji. He quickly moved to avoid them, but at least two scraped his arms. He quickly said, "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was a joke!"

"Let's try another one: better not _snow_ flake out!"

Shinji smiled and nodded. "That's good."

"Good?! You're not even laughing!"

More crescents appeared. As he dodged once more, he said, "Hey, chill out already!"

"Chill out? I've already heard that one." The bird stopped its attacks. "My favorite type of cereal? _Frosted_."

Shinji forced himself to laugh this time. To him, it was odd hearing himself laugh.

"See?! Laughs!" The bird smiled. "Dad was wrong!"

"Your…dad?"

"Yeah, he says I can never be a comedian, but my jokes are good after all!"

"You…you can be a good comedian."

"Thanks. I like you. What's your name?"

"Shinji."

"I'm Snowdrake! Look me up once I make it big!"

Now grinning, Snowdrake fluttered off, leaving a couple of gold coins behind. Shinji pocketed them.

 _I made friends with another monster. Making friends…feels pretty good._

He continued further into the forest. He stopped when he saw Papyrus and Sans up ahead.

 _Papyrus…and—huh? How did Sans get here ahead of me?_

"SO," Papyrus said to Sans, "AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE—."

He turned his skull and noticed Shinji. He looked at Sans, who looked at him, then at Shinji, who Sans was also looking at, and back to Sans again, who looked at him.

"SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT…A HUMAN?!"

"actually," Sans said, "i think that's a rock."

He pointed to something next to Shinji: a small rock with a drawn smiley face on it.

"say, what's that standing next to the rock?"

"OH MY GOD! SANS! IS _THAT_ A HUMAN?"

"yep."

"SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! I FINALLY FOUND A HUMAN! UNDYNE WILL…I'M GONNA…I'LL BE SO…POPULAR, POPULAR, POPULAR!" He looked at Shinji and made a serious expression. "HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! AND THEN…AND THEN…"

"and then?"

"I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE…ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

He ran off again. Sans looked at Shinji and said, "that went well."

"You're right: he doesn't seem dangerous. I actually feel sorry for him."

"sorry? why?"

"Well, he's doing this so that people will like him, right?"

 _Just like why I pilot the Eva…_

"yeah, all he really wants are friends. don't know why he hasn't made any other than undyne; he's a pretty cool dude."

"But, I can't let him capture me."

"never said you had to let him capture you, and i'll keep an eye socket out for you if anything happens."

"Thanks again, Sans."

"hey, i should be thanking you for making papyrus's day. see you up ahead."

Shinji nodded and continued on. He spotted another guard booth, but this one looked like it was made out of cardboard instead of wood. He read the sign on the booth: "YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION. WHO COULD HAVE BUILT THIS, YOU PONDER…I BET IT WAS THAT VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN! (NOTE: NOT YET A VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN.)

The writing alone told him that this was Papyrus's station. Further up ahead, he could see another booth, this time made of wood. There was a sign next it that read: "The post of Doggo. Absolutely NO MOVING!"

 _No moving? Well, it doesn't look like there's anyone in that station._

He started to walk past the booth when a tough looking dog's head poked out. It rose a little more, revealing a body and paws wielding two daggers. Shinji froze in place as its eyes darted back and forth.

"Did something move?" Doggo asked. "Was it my imagination? I can only see moving things. If something was moving…for example, a human…I'll make sure it _never_ moves again!"

 _He…can't see me? He's a dog, so why isn't he smelling me?_

"Don't move an inch." The dog warned.

Light blue daggers appeared and slowly moved forward. Shinji held his breath as they moved past them. One of them actually went through his arm, yet he felt no pain.

 _They don't hurt me if I stay still? But I can't stay like this forever. What—wait, what if I throw the stick?_

He flicked his wrist and sent the stick flying. Doggo's eyes widened and he started barking.

"Huh?!" He said. "A fun stick appeared!"

He jumped out of the booth and ran after the stick. Shinji used this chance to run. He was about out of sight when he heard the dog growl, "Wait."

He froze in place again.

 _Was I spotted?_

"A stick appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared. Was it a ghost stick? Did I just return it to the afterlife? I need some dog treats to think about this."

Shinji slowly turned his head and saw Doggo go back into his booth. He let out a sigh of relief and continued on. Up ahead, he saw a patch of ice with a sign in the middle. He also saw Sans again.

The skeleton waved him over. "hey, there's something i got to tell you."

"What is it?" Shinji asked.

"my brother has a very special attack. if you see a blue attack, don't move and it won't hurt you."

"I just found that out earlier."

"really? well, you should be fine, then."

"Um, Sans? How do you keep getting ahead of me?"

"oh, that? i know shortcuts."

"Shortcuts? I don't see any shortcuts."

"well, they're secret shortcuts."

"Okay…"

Shinji decided not to press it. He walked up to the sign, being careful not to slip on the ice. It read: "North: ice. South: ice. West: ice. East: Snowdin Town (…and ice)"

 _Well, now I know which way I should go._

He went east and saw a large square area piled heavily with snow. On the other side were Papyrus and Sans.

"YOU'RE SO LAZY!" Papyrus said to his brother. "YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!"

"i think that's called 'sleeping'." Sans said with a smile.

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES!"

They turned their heads and saw Shinji. Papyrus straightened himself and said, "OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE QUITE _SHOCKING_! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE," he pulled out a blue orb, "THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!"

"Um, I could just walk around it." Shinji pointed out.

"WALK AROUND IT?! AFTER ALL THE TROUBLE I WENT THROUGH TO MAKE IT?! THAT'S JUST RUDE!"

"I…sorry. I'll do it. I'll do your puzzle."

 _I hope I make it through…_

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT! OKAY, GO AHEAD."

Shinji decided to feel for the walls first. He stuck a hand out and moved forward. His fingers lightly touched some invisible wires. He jerked them back, expecting to get shocked.

Instead, the orb shocked Papyrus.

"SANS!" He shouted. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"i think the human has to hold the orb." Sans suggested.

"OH…OKAY."

Papyrus walked in a zigzag path, leaving a trail of footprints behind. Once he reached the other side, he held the orb out to Shinji and said, "HOLD THIS, PLEASE."

Deciding to go with it now that the correct path was made clear, Shinji took the orb. Papyrus walked back and said, "OKAY, TRY NOW!"

Shinji followed the trail he left behind all the way to the end. Once he reached Papyrus, he held out the orb and said, "I did it."

The skeleton's eye sockets blinked. "INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… _TOO_ EASILY! HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WON'T BE SO EASY! IT IS DESGINED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED (I KNOW I AM)! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"

He went on ahead. Once they were the only two left, Sans said to Shinji, "hey, thanks. it may not look like it, but my brother's having a fun time."

"Yeah." Shinji looked at the orb in his hand and asked, "What do I do with this?"

"you can leave that here. see you up ahead."

He carefully placed the orb down and went on ahead. The trees had cleared away and he could now see that he was on top of a high cliff. Set up near a wooden bridge was a food cart. A blue rabbit monster was standing near it, looking depressed.

Shinji walked up to him and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," the monster sighed, "I don't understand why these aren't selling. It's the perfect weather for something cold."

"What are you selling?"

"Nice Creams. It's perfect, since they won't melt so fast in the cold weather."

"What are Nice Creams?"

"Ice creams, except nice. Would you like to buy one for 15G?"

"Wouldn't it make sense if you sold them somewhere that's hot?"

"Sell them somewhere that's hot? But then they would melt quicker!"

"But everyone likes eating something nice and cold when it's hot."

"Hm…I might move this cart to somewhere warmer when I get the chance." The Nice Cream Guy sighed again.

"Um…I'll buy one."

"You will?!" The Guy's ears perked up. "Great! I have twenty-one flavors available. What would you like?"

"Um, do you have soda flavored ice—I mean Nice Cream?"

"I do! That'll be 15G!"

Shinji payed him and got a small Nice Cream pop in a wrapper. He opened it and pulled out a light blue pop. He noticed that there was writing inside the wrapper: "Love yourself! I love you!"

 _Love myself? How can I? It's…still nice, though._

He decided to hang on to the wrapper. As he made his way to the bridge with the pop in his mouth, the Nice Cream Guy waved and said, "Have a fantastic day!"

Shinji waved back. He licked the Nice Cream and found that the flavor was the same as the ice cream he bought at the convenience stores. He stopped on the bridge and took his time savoring the flavor. The fact that it was just as cold as the air didn't bother him that much.

"Hey." A nearby voice said. "Hey, hey hey hey! Look. Look!"

Shinji looked down and saw a little snowperson with an ice cap on his head. He carefully stepped away from the monster. He hopped closer and said, "Don't ignore me!"

"Sorry…"

"Your head looks so…naked! It can't compare to this nice hat!"

"…Yeah, it's nice."

"Envious? Too bad! This is _my_ hat!"

He frowned and continued to back away.

"Fine! Ignore me!"

White waves appeared and drifted towards Shinji. He ran to the other end of the bridge where they couldn't reach him. The monster hopped over to him, but tripped and fell on his face. The hat fell off and slid past the edge of the bridge. The monster got up and stared at where his hat used to be.

"I…" He sniffled.

Despite being attacked, Shinji still felt a little bad for the monster. He asked, "Can't you get another hat?"

"Yeah, but now nobody will think I'm cool."

"Cool?"

"My hat made me cool. Now that it's gone…"

"You…don't need a hat to be cool."

"I don't?"

"No. You can still be cool without a hat."

"I…you're right. I'm me, and it doesn't matter what they think! I'm cool!"

He grinned and walked away, leaving several coins behind.

 _Doesn't matter what they think? Yeah, it does…_

Shinji gathered the coins and moved on until he found a wide open area covered in ice. There were also two more sentry booths. A sign positioned between them read: "The posts of Dogamy and Dogaressa. Smell Danger Rating: Snow smell—snowman: White rating; can become Yellow rating. Unsuspicious smell—puppy: Blue rating. Puzzling smell—fox: Gold rating. Weird smell—humans: Green rating; destroy at all costs!"

 _More dogs? Where are they now?_

He decided to move on before they showed up. Past the booths, he saw Sans again. He wondered just what kind of shortcuts this skeleton was able to find.

"hey," Sans said, "i saw that nice cream guy and i've decided to sell treats as well. want some fried snow for 5g?"

"Fried snow?" Shinji asked. "You can't fry snow."

"…that's the joke, kid."

"…Oh."

"you really need to see the more _humerus_ side of life, shinji."

That made Shinji smile. "I get that one."

"good, because I got a _femur_ where that came from. anyways, i think paps would get mad if we stayed and told jokes all day. he's up ahead with another puzzle. i made that one myself."

Shinji walked ahead until he saw both of them again. He looked back, then forward.

 _I don't know how he's doing it, but I doubt it's with shortcuts._

"HUMAN!" Papyrus said. "I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR…SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE?!"

"right there." Sans pointed to something on the ground.

It was a sheet of paper.

"there's no way he'll get past this one."

Shinji walked up to the paper and picked it up. He saw that it was a kid's word search puzzle. He looked at the skeletons, then at the word search again.

"I…don't have anything to circle the words with." He said.

There was a moment of silence.

"SANS!" Papyrus scolded. "YOU FORGOT TO LEAVE A PEN!"

"whoops." Sans shrugged. "i must have left it next to today's crossword. huh, now that i think about it, maybe i should have used that instead."

"WHAT?! CROSSWORD?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION, JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST."

"what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble? that's for baby bones."

"UN. BELIEVABLE." He pointed at Shinji and said, "HUMAN! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE! WHICH ONE IS HARDER?!"

"Huh?" Shinji blinked at this sudden question. "Um, I've always found crosswords to be hard."

"see?" Sans said. "the human agrees with me."

"YOU TWO ARE WEIRD!" Papyrus shook his skull. "CROSSWORDS ARE SO EASY. IT'S THE SAME SOLUTION EVERY TIME; I JUST FILL ALL THE BOXES IN WITH THE LETTER 'Z', BECAUSE EVERY TIME I LOOK AT A CROSSWORD, ALL I CAN DO IS SNORE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

He left again. Shinji walked up to Sans and asked, "Were you going easy on me with this?"

"maybe, or maybe i was too lazy to come up with a real puzzle."

He set the word find down and moved along. He saw two tables out in the open: one with a microwave and one with a plate of spaghetti and a note. Shinji couldn't even begin to think why all these things were out here. He hoped to get a better idea by reading the note: "HUMAN! PLEASE ENJOY THIS SPAGHETTI. (LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, THIS SPAGHETTI IS A TRAP DESGIGNED TO ENTICE YOU! YOU'LL BE SO BUSY EATING IT THAT YOU WON'T REALIZE YOU AREN'T PROGRESSING! THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!) NYEH HEH HEH! SIGNED, THE GREAT PAPYRUS."

 _He's really trying everything…_

Shinji picked up the fork and poked the spaghetti. He wasn't surprised to see that it was frozen solid. He looked at the microwave and was surprised to see that all the settings were set to "spaghetti".

There was a sudden bark. He turned his head, expecting to see a dog. He was half-right.

It was a white dog standing on its hind legs. He wore heavy armor and wielded a sword and shield. He barked again and ran up to Shinji. He let out a surprised yell and jumped up on the table. The dog stopped in front of him and wagged his tail.

"G-good dog…" Shinji nervously said.

The corners of the dog's mouth stretched into a grin and it started panting.

 _What do I do? I don't think I can outrun it, and I left my stick behind._

The dog stopped wagging his tail and started to whine.

"You need something, boy?"

He continued to whine. Shinji cautiously stretched his hand out. The dog's tail started wagging again. He slowly placed his hand on top of his head and petted him. The dog craned his neck and pushed back against his hand.

"Good dog." Shinji said again, this time with a small smile.

He continued to pet him. His neck stretched and he went back to panting. When Shinji noticed that his neck was literally stretching, he stopped and withdrew his hand. The dog barked and ran off, his tail never ceasing to wag. A pile of coins was also left behind.

 _He just wanted to be pet? Well, he is a dog… All he wanted was attention…why? Why do so many monsters remind me of myself?_


	6. 3-6

_**Evangelion**_ **: has a penguin.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: has dogs.**

 **This fanfiction: has dogs and one fox.**

* * *

"Warning: Dog marriage"

 _Dog marriage? What is that supposed to mean?_

Shinji read and reread the sign, but he couldn't figure it out. He decided to move along. He stopped when he felt his foot sink. He withdrew it and he could hear a "click". He waited for something bad to happen, but nothing did. He brushed the snow aside and saw that there was a button on the ground.

Continuing on, he saw gray platforms with holes in them. He figured that there were spikes, and that the switch he accidentally stepped on caused them to retract. He was about to move on when he saw two individuals approach him.

They were both dogs, though they wore black robes and carried axes. Their appearance unnerved Shinji, since they looked like executioners. They stopped in front of him and sniffed.

"What's that smell?" The first dog asked.

(Where's that smell?) The second dog asked.

"If you're a smell…"

(Identify yoursmelf!)

 _They smell me, but they can't see me? It's the opposite of that other dog._

"I-I'm Shinji." Shinji said nervously.

"Shinji?"

(Never heard of a Shinji smell.)

They both sniffed again.

"It's a weird smell. It makes me want to eliminate…"

(Eliminate you!)

They both raised their axes and swung downwards. Shinji jumped backwards just in time, but he stumbled and fell. He rolled out of the way just as they swung their axes again.

 _Not good! I have to run! No, I mustn't run away—but they're going to kill me!_

"Huh? That smell…?"

(That smell!)

The dogs sniffed again.

"You smell like…?!"

(Are you actually a little puppy?!)

 _Puppy?_

Shinji looked himself over and saw that he was covered in snow. Both dogs crouched down and continued to sniff him.

"Are you hurt, little puppy?"

(We feel so bad.)

"N-no." Shinji said.

He slowly stood up. The dogs also stood up, but one of their heads accidentally bumped his hand.

"Pet! I was pet by a pup!"

(Pet?! Pet me, too!)

Shinji looked at his hand, then reached out and pet the other dog on the head.

(Wow! A dog that pets other dogs!)

"See?"

(A new world has been opened up to us…)

"Thanks, puppy!"

They left Shinji with wagging tails. They also left a pile of coins behind. He looked at his hand again. He was about to brush the snow off, but then thought that it would be better if he didn't, just in case they came back. He instead pocketed the coins.

 _That…was too close._

Up ahead, he could see many piles of snow, as well as two blue X's on the ground. Past them were a row of spikes blocking the way. There was also a switch and another sign. The sign read: "Turn every X into an O, then press the switch."

 _So, I just step on them?_

He experimented by stepping onto one of the X's. It immediately turned into a red O. He did the same thing to the other X and pressed the switch. The O's turned green and the spikes retracted. From the other side, Papyrus came into view.

He saw Shinji and said, "WHAT?! HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP?! AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME?!"

"Huh? You mean the spaghetti? Um…yeah, there's some leftover…"

"REALLY?! WOWIE…YOU RESISTED THE FLAVOR OF MY HOMECOOKED PASTA, JUST SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME?! FRET NOT, HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! NYEH HEH HEH HEH! I'LL SHOW YOU THE NEXT PUZZLE! FOLLOW ME!"

They walked together. Shinji kept his guard up in case Papyrus tried anything. However, the only thing he did was make small talk.

"YOU KNOW, MY BROTHER STARTED A SOCK COLLECTION RECENTLLY. HOW SADDENING…SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD DO WITHOUT SUCH A COOL GUY TAKING CARE OF HIM? NYEH HEH HEH!"

"Sans thinks you're cool." Shinji noted.

"I KNOW! SAY, HUMAN, DO YOU HAVE A NAME?"

"I do; it's Shinji."

"SHINJI? SOUNDS LIKE A NAME FROM ONE OF UNDYNE'S CARTOONS. LOOK, HERE'S THE NEXT PUZZLE!"

There were many piles of snow, and a lot of blue Xs. The snow piles looked like it made something familiar. Papyrus stood next to the switch.

"HMMM…HOW DO I SAY THIS? YOU WERE TAKING A WHILE TO GET HERE, SO I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. SO NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND…BUT! WORRY NOT, HUMAN—AH, SHINJI, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HELP SOLVE THIS CONONDRUM! WE WILL SOLVE THIS PUZZLE TOGETHER, THEN PROCEED!"

"Solve it…together?" Shinji asked. "I thought you were trying to stop me."

"I—THAT IS—UH—I CAN'T GET HOME IF WE DON'T SOLVE THIS PUZZLE."

"…Oh."

"YES! O! WE FIRST NEED TO TURN ALL THOSE X'S INTO O'S!"

Shinji studied the puzzle, then it clicked for him. He mapped out a path in his head and followed it until all the X's were turned into O's. He pressed the switch and the spikes retracted.

"WOW!" Papyrus was obviously impressed. "YOU SOLVED IT! MY ADVICE REALLY HELPED YOU OUT! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO!"

"Yeah, thanks."

"YOU'LL LOVE THIS NEXT PUZZLE, EVEN IF IT MIGHT BE TOO EASY FOR YOU! NYEH HEH HEH! I'LL SEE YOU UP AHEAD, SHINJI!"

He ran on ahead with incredible speed. Shinji was about to follow him when he heard a familiar voice say, "good job on solving it."

Without turning around, he asked, "Sans? Does Papyrus really want to capture me?"

"he's wanted to be in the royal guard for a long time, and he'll get in if he captures a human, but if he gets at least one friend…what do you think, shinji?"

"I don't know."

"well, if you were papyrus, what would you do?"

"I…I would want to capture a human so that people will like me, so I could be praised, so I can have—."

 _That's why I pilot the Eva. I…I'm not that different from Papyrus._

"what if he can't bring himself to capture you? would you want to be friends with him?"

"I…you know what: I would."

"he would be happy to hear that. hey, let's not keep him waiting."

Shinji nodded and went on ahead.

In front of him was a large gray grid. On the other side was a rectangular machine with a colored grid for a monitor. Standing next to it were Papyrus and Sans. At this point, Shinji stopped questioning Sans's ability to show up wherever he wanted.

"YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE, SHINJI!" Papyrus said enthusiastically. "THIS WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES?"

"Yeah." Shinji nodded.

"ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH, THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR! EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION! RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE; YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC; THEY WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU! GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES; IF YOU STEP ON THEM, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER! ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE-SCENTED; THEY WILL MAKE YOU SMELL DELICIOUS! BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. SWIM THROUGH THEM IF YOU LIKE, BUT IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES, THE PIRAHNAS WILL BITE YOU! ALSO, IF IT'S NEXT TO A YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO ZAP YOU! PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY; YOU WILL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE! HOWEVER, THE SLIPPERY SOAP SMELLS LIKE LEMONS, WHICH PIRAHNAS DON'T LIKE! BLUE AND PURPLE ARE OKAY! FINALLY, PINK TILES DON'T DO ANYTHING; YOU CAN STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE! GOT ALL THAT?"

"Uh…what?"

Papyrus groaned. "OKAY…I GUESS I'LL EXPLAIN IT AGAIN. RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE, YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC AND DANGEROUS, BLUE TILES MAKE YOU FIGHT A MONSTER, GREEN TILES ARE WATER TILES, ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE-SCENTED. IF YOU STEP ON ORANGE, DON'T STEP ON GREEN. BROWN TILES ARE—WAIT, THERE ARE NO BROWN TILES! PURPLE TILES SMELL LIKE LEMONS…WHY DON'T THE YELLOW ONES SMELL LEMONY? UH, WAIT: I MIXED UP GREEN AND BLUE! THE BLUE ONES ARE THE WATER ONES! THE PINK…I…DON'T REMEMBER?! WAIT…THEY DO NOTHING! YOU GOT IT NOW?!"

"I…I guess?"

"GREAT! THERE'S JUST ONE LAST THING: THE PUZZLE…IS ENTIRELY RANDOM! WHEN I PULL THIS SWITCH, IT WILL MAKE A PUZZLE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! NOT EVEN I WILL KNOW THE SOLUTION! NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY!"

Papyrus pulled the switch. The grid lit up with different colors and started to flash. Shinji clenched and unclenched his hand as he watched the squares flash faster.

 _Okay…you can do this, Shinji. Can't pass red, yellow smells like lemons—no, yellow electrocutes, green summons monsters, orange smells like oranges, blue is water,_ purple _smells like lemons and is slippery, and pink is safe. Can't cross blue while smelling like an orange or when it's next to yellow, can cross blue while smelling like lemons, and—._

The squares finally stopped flashing. There were only two colors on the grid: red and pink. The pink squares made a straight line to the other side. Everyone stared at it and said nothing. Papyrus slowly made his exit.

"wow." Sans said. "who would've thought?"

Shinji shook his head and continued onwards.

He saw another sentry booth, but that was not what caught his attention. There were many odd snow sculptures of a dog with an impossibly long neck. Some were twisted and some bent at angles that defied gravity. Shinji read the sign next to the booth: "Post of the Lesser Dog. Pleas pet dog."

 _This must be the post of that dog I petted earlier._

Past the snow sculptures, he saw Snowdrake and the Ice Cap-less monster talking to each other.

"You're getting better at those jokes, Drake!" The other monster laughed. " _Snow_ one's as good as you!"

" _Snow_ one." Snowdrake nodded. "That's another good one." He turned his head and noticed Shinji. "Shinji! _Ice_ to see you again! Ice Cap, this is the human I was telling you about."

"I know; I've met him, too."

Shinji walked up to them and said, "Hello again."

"Shinji," Snowdrake said, "I got another good one: you want fries with your _iceberg_ er?"

"Iceberg—?" Shinji got it and laughed.

"Lame!" A new voice said. "Your jokes _suck_ , Drake."

A small, UFO shaped monster waddled up to the group. Snowdrake and Ice Cap both groaned, "Jerry."

"Yeah, everyone knows that!" Jerry said. He looked at Shinji and asked, "Who's this guy?"

"He's—."

"No, wait, don't say anything! I'm thinking…yes! He's your hired audience, Drake! Wow. You're just that desperate to have someone laugh at your bad jokes."

Shinji frowned. "You're not being nice."

"Nice? How can I be nice when it's so _cold_!? Really, is anyone else freezing here?"

Ice Cap hopped close to Shinji and Snowdrake and whispered, "On the count of three, we ditch him. One…two…three!"

The three of them made a run for it. Behind them, they could hear Jerry call out, "Some friends you are!" They stopped once he was out of viewing range.

"Is he always like that?" Shinji asked.

"Yes." Ice Cap sighed. "No redeeming qualities whatsoever."

"Hey _guys_!" They heard Jerry call out. "You're _so_ lame, ditching me and all that!"

"…He's coming this way."

"Let's split up." Snowdrake suggested. "He can't bother all of us at once if we split up."

Everyone nodded and went in different directions. Shinji found himself in front of an icy field. Past it was another cliff, separated by a small gap. Scattered about were more blue X's and a single switch. He slowly and carefully made his way across the ice. He stepped on each X so that they turned into O's. He slipped and fell once on the way to the switch, but he was able to pick himself back up and press it.

A bridge appeared, allowing him to cross over. He was glad to be off the ice once he crossed it. There were a few trees present and, past them, a small doghouse. He was about to head over there when something stepped out from behind the trees.

It looked like a reindeer, except it had garland and Christmas ornaments hanging from its antlers. Sitting on its back was a small gold fox that was kneading its front paws into its flesh. The reindeer monster snorted and muttered, "Another one of you teenagers."

"Huh?"

"You're not going to decorate me any further!"

Large, white snowflakes appeared and flew at Shinji. Because there were so many of them, a few actually managed to hit him as he dodged. He winced in pain and said, "I'm not going to decorate you!"

"You're not? How can I believe you when you teenagers do this to me all the time?"

"I can take those off of you, if you want."

"If I want? Of course I want them off!"

The monster stopped his attacks. Shinji slowly approached him and started undecorating him. He first removed the ornaments (some which had hateful writing, like "stupid"), then he unwound the garland from his antlers. He looked at the gold fox and asked, "What about the fox?"

"Fox?" The monster asked. "I thought it was a cat. They didn't put it on me. It just showed up and started scratching my back one day. It…hurts sometimes, but it feels pretty good overall. It can stay if it wants to."

He eyed all the decorations that Shinji removed. He shook his head and added, "That feels better, by the way. Thank you."

"Why would someone put all these on you?" Shinji asked.

"They think it's just _so_ funny to decorate me. They pretend to be nice to me, but just when I let my guard down, they put all these stupid decorations on me and laugh. I can't trust anyone because of them!"

 _Can't trust anyone…I can relate…_

"But…you helped me out, so…thank you. I'm Gyftrot."

"Shinji."

"Thanks again, Shinji."

Gyftrot smiled and walked away, leaving several coins behind.

 _Why do they always leave coins behind? Is that their way of thanking me?_

Shinji turned his attention to the doghouse once more and walked up to it. One thing he also noticed was that there were many small piles of snow. He checked one to see if it was hiding anything, but it wasn't. He looked at the doghouse and saw that it was empty. The sign next to it read: "Post of the Greater Dog. (Woof)"

 _Such a small doghouse. Maybe this dog won't be so bad…if I come across it, that is._

Just as he was thinking that, a little white tail poked out of one of the snow piles, followed by a dog head. It wagged its tail and barked at Shinji. Then, it rose out of the snow pile.

It was sitting inside a giant suit of armor with legs, arms, and a spear in its gauntlet. Shinji's eyes widened at this unexpected occurrence. The Greater Dog barked again.

He yelled and tried to run, but the dog pounced on him. He felt the full weight of the armor press down on him and he struggled to get away. The dog, meanwhile, was sniffing and licking the back of his neck. Shinji was stuck between gasping for air and laughing from his neck being tickled by dog kisses.

"Hah…stop…! Ha ha…get off!"

The dog stood up and Shinji took in a big lungful of air. He stood up and looked at the Greater Dog, who was still wagging his tail. He had a feeling that it wasn't really hostile.

 _Maybe…he wants to play?_

"I…I would play fetch with you, but…I don't have anything to throw."

The dog dropped his spear and nudged it towards him.

"You want me to throw this?"

The dog barked. Shinji bent down and picked it up. It was unsurprisingly heavy, and he struggled to lift it up with both hands. He tossed it, but it went less than a foot. Nevertheless, the dog picked it up and dropped it in front of him again.

"Sorry, it's too heavy for me to throw."

The Greater Dog leaned in close to Shinji. He petted its head and his tail wagged faster. He scratched behind his ears and the dog seemed to grin. It barked again and jumped out of the suit of armor, landing in Shinji's arms.

"You can get out of that thing?"

The dog licked his face a few times, then jumped back into the armor head first. Its rear end and tail poked out as it walked away, leaving his spear and more coins behind. Shinji rubbed the dog saliva off his face.

 _He really reminds me of sensei's dog…I miss them both._

Up ahead, he could see a long, wooden bridge with no railings. He gulped. He told himself that he could do this, just as long as he didn't look down. He slowly made his way across the bridge. When he was halfway there, he could see Papyrus and Sans on the other side.

"SHINJI!" Papyrus called out. "THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!"

From the sides of the cliff and underneath the bridge, many weapons appeared, including a cannon, two spears, a flamethrower, a spiked ball on a chain…and a white dog with an annoying grin on its face.

 _N-no way…_

"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE, SPIKES WILL SWING, BLADES WILL SLICE! THERE IS ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY! ARE YOU READY?! BECAUSE I…WILL…DO IT!"

"Are you serious?!" Shinji shouted. "I thought you were trying to capture me, not kill me!"

"I…WELL…THAT IS…"

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"something wrong?" Sans asked.

"Y-YES! THIS PUZZLE…IS TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH. YEAH, WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR, AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED, BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!"

The traps went back to their original positions. Shinji was relieved to see them go and, judging by Papyrus's expression, he was just as glad. He and Sans stared at the skeleton.

"WHEW…WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH…HEH?"

Papyrus scratched the back of his skull and left. Shinji looked at Sans, but he only shrugged. He went ahead and saw a large sign that read: "Welcome to Snowdin!"

It was indeed a town. There were a few houses, a shop and an inn, a place to eat, and a library. At the center of the town was a Christmas tree with presents surrounding it. There were also many monsters present. A few stared at Shinji, but most didn't pay that much attention to him.

 _A monster town…it feels just like any other town. I could rest or get something to eat; I haven't had anything other than that Nice Cream. Wait…there's a library. It wouldn't hurt to know more about this place._

Shinji decided to go there first. The "Librarby", as its sign read, was small and had a few monsters in it. He went to the very back where the bookshelves were. He found a few titles that interested him: "Monster Funerals", "Monster History", and "Monster and Human Souls".

He pulled them out, sat at a table, and began to read.


	7. 3-7

_**Evangelion**_ **: uses classical music in the most traumatizing scenarios.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: uses the best music in the most memorable scenarios.**

 **This fanfiction: doesn't have music since it's a written work.**

* * *

" _Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person's favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing...uhhh, am I at the page minimum yet? I'm kinda sick of writing this." …Dust? That's kind of sad, but I guess it's better than leaving a body behind…_

Shinji moved on to the next book.

" _While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water._ _Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic. They'll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card..." Bullet-pattern? So when monsters attack, they're actually expressing themselves? I think that's what's it's saying?_

He set the second book aside and picked up the third one.

" _Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their souls._ _If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken. And the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful soul struck with the desire to kill...um, let's end the chapter there..." Magic…after everything I've seen, I'm not surprised it exists._

" _Love, hope, and compassion: this is what people say monster souls are made of._ _But the absolute nature of soul is unknown. After all, humans have proven their souls don't need these things to exist." …It's right about that…_

Shinji got up and looked for more books. However, most of them were just fictional stories. The ones that weren't stories were crossword books that have already been filled out.

His phone suddenly rang. The librarian at the front desk folded her arms and said, "Excuse me, can you take that outside?"

"Sorry." Shinji quickly apologized.

He left the library and opened his phone. There wasn't a name and he didn't recognize the four digit number, but he answered it anyways.

"Hello?"

" **Anno-san? Listen, I know what you're going through, and I want to say—wait, is this the wrong number?** "

"Uh—."

" _ **Oh it's the wrong number~! The wrong number song~! We're very very sorry that we got it wrong~! Oh it's the wrong number~! The wrong number song~! We're very very sorry that we it wrong~!**_ "

The individual on the other end hung up. Shinji stared at his phone, not knowing what to make of what he had just heard. He thought it would be best if he moved along and pretended it never happened. He decided to get something to eat before he left Snowdin. He saw a place called "Grillby's" and decided to check it out.

There were many monsters inside the diner, including all the sentry dogs he had met earlier. Everyone gave a short glance at him before going back to whatever they were doing. Shinji went to the farthest barstool and sat down.

A monster with a flame for a head approached him. He stared at him, but said nothing. A nearby bird monster said, "Grillby wants to know what you want."

"Oh, uh…"

Shinji didn't know how that monster was able to understand him when he didn't even speak. He looked in front of him and noticed a menu. He picked it up and decided to go with the cheapest thing.

"Fries and water, please." Shinji said.

Grillby shook his head.

"He says he doesn't touch the stuff." The bird monster said.

"Um, root beer, then?"

Grillby nodded and went through a door in the back, presumably to the kitchen. The bird monster looked at Shinji and said, "I see you're not from around here."

"N-no." Shinji looked away. "I'll leave shortly."

"No one said you had to leave. I was just wondering if you were from the city."

"City? Y-yeah."

 _It's_ a _city…_

"Snowdin's pretty nice, isn't it?"

Shinji nodded. Grillby came back with a plate of fries and a glass of root beer. He set them down and presented a slip of paper: a check. Shinji was amazed that he didn't set anything on fire. He looked at the check and saw that he owed 35G. He pulled out the coins and set them on top of the check. Grillby took them and nodded before tending to another customer.

The fries were a little spicy, but the root beer helped cool his mouth down. He considered getting something else, but decided that he should get going. He gave Grillby his compliments and left.

Shinji passed by a few more houses before he reached the edge of town. There was only one path leading out lined by trees and a river with pieces of ice drifting in its currents. He shivered and kept walking. He stopped once he saw a familiar figure blocking his path.

"SHINJI." Papyrus said. "ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS; FEELINGS LIKE THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER, THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS, AND A DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU'RE COOL. THESE FEELINGS…THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!"

"I…kind of…" Shinji admitted. "I wish I could have friends, but…"

"BUT WHAT?"

"But everyone I try to get close to…I want us to be friends, but you want to capture me."

"REALLY? YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME? I…SHINJI, I REALLY WANT TO, TOO...BUT NO! YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU SO I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!"

"I can't let you capture me, Papyrus, but I don't want to fight you either. Please, just let me go. I have people waiting for me."

"I'M SORRY, SHINJI, BUT I MUST!"

Small bones poked out of the ground and moved towards Shinji. He was able to easily move out of the way. He had faced attacks worse than this, so…

 _Is he holding back? Maybe he'll stop if I keep talking to him._

"You don't have to do this, Papyrus!" Shinji tried to reason.

"YOU WON'T FIGHT?" Papyrus asked. "THEN, LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK!"

Many tall, light blue bones sped towards him. Remembering the fight with Doggo, Shinji stayed still. Each and every bone passed through him without doing any damage. Once the last one had passed, however, he suddenly dropped to the ground. A white bone appeared and hit him.

 _What?_

It felt like he had gotten heavier. It took him some effort just for him to get on his hands and knees. He looked down and noticed that his red heart had turned dark blue.

"YOU'RE BLUE NOW." Papyrus said. "NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

More white bones came at Shinji. He settled for rolling side to side to dodge the bones. A sudden image appeared in his head: himself on the ground, crying into gray stained hands. Papyrus held him in a loose embrace.

" _IT'S OKAY, HUMAN. TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON."_

 _Again…just like with Toriel._

"I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!" Papyrus said. "PAPYRUS: HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD, UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE! UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!"

The attacks became more frequent. Shinji struggled to dodge them all. One got him and he fell back down. However, he was not giving up just yet.

"THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE! MY BROTHER WILL…WELL, HE WON'T CHANGE VERY MUCH. I'LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS, BUT…WILL ANYONE LIKE ME AS SINCERELY AS YOU? AFTER YOU'RE CAPTURED AND SENT AWAY…OH WHO CARES!? JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!"

In addition to white bones, blue bones were also thrown into the mix of attacks. Sensing Papyrus's hesitation in his voice, he tried to talk to him again.

"We can be friends, Papyrus," he said, "just stop attacking me."

"I—I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT EITHER, SHINJI, BUT—I STILL HAVE TO CAPTURE YOU!"

"I can't! I have to go back!"

"THEN PREPARE TO FACE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

A large bone launched itself at him at incredible speed. Before it could hit him, however, a white dog suddenly jumped out of nowhere and caught it in its mouth. It sat down and started gnawing on the bone. Shinji and Papyrus stared at the dog, both stupefied at its sudden appearance.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Papyrus shouted. "HEY, YOU STUPID, ANNOYING DOG! STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE!"

The dog stopped gnawing on the bone, but it stood up and ran off with it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" He sighed and turned his attention back to Shinji. "OH WELL, I'LL JUST HAVE TO USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK." He sighed again. "HERE IT IS: AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK."

The bones came at him again, except they didn't seem to be letting up. Eventually, bones that formed the words "Cool Dude" appeared. There was no room to roll to the side.

 _I have to jump over them._

Shinji fought against the weight and stood up. He managed to make a short hop over the first word, but the weight pulled him down again and the other word hit him. He clenched his hands and teeth. He was close to giving out.

 _No…I can't…_

His eyes widened with disbelief when he saw several rows of bones heading his way. He struggled to get to his feet again. He took a few staggering steps backwards, then ran at the bones and leaped. He cleared most of them, but he crashed into a giant bone and was knocked backwards. He finally cried out in pain.

Papyrus stopped his attacks, his face looking guilty. He panted and said, "IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU CAN'T BEAT ME. THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL…"

Shinji looked at Papyrus right in the eye socket, his expression pleading. The skeleton frowned and his skull drooped. Shinji's heart turned back to red and the weight was finally lifted. He let out a relieved sigh and weakly got to his feet.

"I—I CAN'T CAPTURE YOU! YOU—YOU'RE TOO GOOD, SHINJI! UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME…"

"Papyrus," Shinji said, "I'm sorry. If I could, I would help you. I…I know what it's like, wanting to have friends and have people praise you. I can't let you capture me, but I can be your friend."

"A…FRIEND? YES! I HAVE A FRIEND! I HAVE YOU, SHINJI!"

Papyrus ran forward and hugged Shinji tightly. He winced in discomfort, but he lightly returned the hug.

"AS FRIENDS, I WILL DO YOU A SPECIAL FAVOR: I WILL LET YOU GO AND GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE!"

"R-really?!"

Papyrus stopped hugging Shinji and said, "CONTINUE FORWARDS UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN, WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER."

"Barrier?"

 _Napstablook said something about a barrier, too._

"THAT'S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT, NOT UNLESS THEY POSSESS A POWERFUL SOUL LIKE YOU! THAT'S WHY THE KING WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER SO US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE. OH, BUT TO REACH THE BARRIER, YOU MUST PASS THROUGH…THE KING'S CASTLE."

Shinji gulped. "So I might have to face him?"

"YES, THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS. TO BE HONEST, WELL…HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER! EVERYONE LOVES THAT GUY. I'M CERTAIN THAT IF YOU JUST SAY 'EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR, CAN I PLEASE GO HOME', HE'LL GUIDE YOU STRAIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF!"

"That's…is he really that nice?"

"OF COURSE HE IS! I'M HEADING BACK HOME. IF YOU EVER WANT TO HANG OUT BEFORE YOU GO, STOP ON BY! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"

He nodded. Papyrus grinned and walked back to Snowdin. Shinji turned around and called out, "Papyrus! Thank you!"

Papyrus turned around and waved enthusiastically in response. Shinji, weak as he was, decided to press onwards. He would have rested at the inn, but he didn't want to waste any time, not when the Angels were attacking Tokyo 3.

 _Once all the Angels are gone, I'll come back and see you all again…Papyrus, Sans, Toriel, everyone…_

* * *

Sans stood at his sentry post near the Ruins, feeling particularly bored. All he could do was stare at the conveniently shaped lamp. He was about to move to his other post past Snowdin when he heard something approaching.

To his surprise, it was another human. He wore a dark purple outfit that covered everything but his head. He also had short gray hair and red eyes. Sans blinked. He had seen several humans before, but never one with red eyes.

The boy, for he looked to be around Shinji's age, stopped and turned his head to look at Sans. He could easily read the expression on his face, and what it implied.

"that look on your face," he said, "that's the look of someone who's seen me once before."

"Very observant, Sans." The boy said. "For someone who can't remember what's happened in the previous timelines, you read the expressions of those who know about them down to the finest detail."

"eh, it's something i've picked up over time and time again. so, did you come here by accident, or are you looking for someone?"

"Shinji."

"i thought so. are you here to bring him back to the surface?"

"If that's what he wants. I only care about one thing: that he finds happiness."

"good luck with that; kid seems to have a lot on his shoulders. he just left snowdin, so maybe you can catch up to him."

The boy nodded and walked away, muttering, "This time, Shinji, this time..."


	8. 3-8

_**Evangelion**_ **: one of the most popular anime in Japan.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: one of the most popular games in the English language.**

 **This fanfiction: the most popular story I have written so far (in terms of views, not reviews).**

* * *

The new area was cavernous, but a little bit warmer than Snowdin. It was damp and had many little streams and waterfalls. There was also a sentry booth, but no one was in it. Past that, there was a large waterfall with rocks falling with the water. There was a bridge that ran next to the falls.

Shinji felt the spray soak him as he crossed it. He kept walking until he came across a very tall patch of grass. With no way around it, he went through it. He stopped when he heard the sounds of metal footsteps. He looked up.

Standing on a cliff above him was a knight with long red hair in a ponytail. Though the hair was showing, the rest of the head was concealed by its helmet. He saw Papyrus approach it. Given his loud voice, he was easily able to hear what he was saying.

"H—HI UNDYNE." He nervously said. "I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT…UHHH…REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…"

The knight turned her head to look at him. Shinji could hear her speaking, but he couldn't make out the words.

"Y-YES I FOUGHT HIM…NO, I DIDN'T CAPTURE HIM. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END…I FAILED…WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL FOR YOURSELF? BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'T H—HAVE TO DESTROY HIM! YOU SEE—!"

Undyne took a step forward, as if challenging Papyrus.

"…I…I UNDERSTAND…"

Papyrus meekly backed away, then left.

 _So that's Undyne…_

Something in the grass rustled. Undyne turned her head and a blue spear appeared in her hand. Shinji covered his mouth and held his breath. He prayed that she didn't see him. After a minute passed, the spear vanished and she walked away. Shinji waited for her footsteps to fade away before he came out of hiding.

As soon as he left the grassy patch, he heard something rustle again. He turned around and yelped in surprise when a small monster jumped out. He looked like a little dinosaur, but without arms.

"Yo," he said, "did you see the way she was staring at you? That…was…awesome! I'm so jealous!"

"J-jealous?" Shinji asked.

"No duh! Undyne's the coolest! C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!"

The kid ran forward, but tripped and fell on his face. Shinji was about to help him up when he got back up and took off. He had no idea how he was able to pick himself back up without arms. He decided just to go on ahead.

He was met with a stream with no way to cross the other side. He wondered how Monster Kid was able to cross it. He probably swam, but he didn't want to do that unless he had no other choice. He looked around and saw some large seeds and a sign. The sign read: "When four Bridge Seeds align in the water, they will sprout."

 _Bridge Seeds? Might as well try._

Shinji picked up one of the seeds and set it in the stream. It slowly drifted until it reached the other end. He did the same thing with three more seeds. Once they made contact with each other, they bloomed. The large petals and leaves reminded him of giant lotuses.

He carefully placed a foot on one of the flowers. He was surprised to find that it was able to support his full weight. He placed his other foot down and made his way across the bridge to the other side.

This room was larger and had another small stream that prevented him access to the next room. Fortunately, there were more Bridge Seeds present. He was about to pick one up when he heard a loud splash behind him.

In the stream was a horse with large, muscular arms and a fish's tail. It reminded Shinji of a mermaid, except for the obvious. The monster flexed his arms. Though his physique was intimidating, his face was not, so Shinji decided to talk to him.

"H-hello." He said.

"Hello." The monster winked as he continued to flex. "The name's Aaron, and I love muscles." Wink.

"I-I can tell."

"Check all you want." Wink. "What are your muscles like?" Wink.

Shinji was creeped out by this monster's constant winking. He tried to maintain his composure and said, "I don't have muscles."

"Everyone has muscles." Aaron winked once more. "You just got to flex them, like this." He flexed his arms again. "Give it a try." Wink.

 _He'll probably attack me if I don't._

Shinji reluctantly flexed one of his arms.

"You can do better than that." Wink. "Flex harder!" Wink.

He did just that, but there was barely any muscle to show. Aaron also flexed harder. He was so busy flexing that he didn't notice that he was drifting down the stream. Shinji watched as he drifted out of sight. He lowered his arm, thankful that that creepy monster was gone.

He turned his attention to the Bridge Seeds again. He had to figure out where to place them, but he was able to quickly come up with a solution. He placed four Bridge Seeds into the water and watched them connect and blossom. He crossed the newly formed floral bridge to the other side.

His phone rang.

 _Huh? Is it Toriel, or another wrong number?_

He flipped it open and saw the name "Papyrus". Curious as to how he even got his number, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"HEY SHINJI!"

"Papyrus? How did you get this number?"

"IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!"

"…Really?"

"REALLY! SO, I'M CALLING TO ASK IF YOU'VE SEEN THAT ANNOYING DOG SINCE OUR FIGHT."

"That white dog? No, I haven't seen it."

"WELL, THAT MEDDLING CANINE STOLE MORE OF MY BONES! AND HE WAS LAST SEEN HEADING TO WATERFALL! IF YOU SEE HIM…CATCH HIM BEFORE HE STEALS ANYTHING ELSE!"

"I'll try…if I see him."

"THANKS, SHINJI! YOU'RE A GREAT FRIEND!"

He hung up. Shinji stared at his phone for a minute.

 _I haven't talked to Toriel in some time._

He dialed her number. As he listened to the dial tone, he heard a faint ringing in the next room. Wondering if it was a coincidence, he hung up. The ringing stopped.

 _That's weird._

Shinji went into the next room to investigate the source of the ringing. The room was actually a corridor with a high ceiling lined with stones that glittered like stars. There were also a few large, blue flowers growing in different spots. A sign on the wall read: "Wishing Room".

He lightly touched one of the flowers.

"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky." A voice from the flower spoke. "If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling."

"Wait," Shinji said, "so monsters weren't always in the Underground?"

No response. He lightly touched it again and it repeated its message. It reminded him of messages left on phones. He decided to investigate by examining the other flowers. He went to another one and brushed his fingers on its petals.

"Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that."

He did the same thing with two more flowers.

"C'mon sis! Make a wish!"

"I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday…"

Up ahead, he saw a lone telescope set up. He guessed that monsters used it to look up at the stones. He went up to it and looked through it. The stones in the ceiling didn't look like stars, but their sparkle was close.

"Pretty, aren't they?" A voice asked.

Shinji jumped at the close proximity of the voice. He looked and saw what looked like a tub of water with the head and limbs of a turtle. Floating in the tub of water was a little yellow bird.

"Uh, yeah." Shinji nodded.

"U know, I wish for the whole world to be clean."

"For the whole world to be clean? Why?"

"Because everything is so dirty! Everything needs to be washed, scrubbed, and cleaned!"

"That's…not a bad wish."

"What about u? What do u wish for?"

 _What do I wish for? Too many things…_

"I…I have too many wishes, all of them impossible."

"Have u listened to the Echo Flowers? Everyone makes wishes, no matter how impossible they are."

"I…okay…"

Shinji lowered his head.

 _I wish my father would like me; that we can get closer. I wish I don't have to be an Eva pilot. I wish the Angels never came. I wish I never have to be alone again…_

He lifted his head up and said, "I've made my wishes."

"I hope they come true for u." The monster said.

The bird tweeted and the monster shuffled away. Shinji took one last look at the ceiling before he moved along.

He found himself on a long boardwalk. Reeds grew out of the water and little bugs darted about. There were five old plaques on the wall with slightly faded writing. He went to each one and read them to himself.

"' _The War of Humans and Monsters'. Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of one human soul, but humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allowed it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul. A monster with a human soul…a horrible beast with unfathomable power."_

 _So humans have fought the monsters? Then why don't the humans know about them? You think there would at least be history books about this…if the monsters got out now, then what would Nerv or the government do? Would they imprison them? Kill them?_

Shinji shook his head. Every possibility was grim, and he didn't want to think about it. He looked at the last plaque and saw a picture of a monster on it. Though it was crudely drawn, it still looked terrifying. He started to walk down the boardwalk.

A blue spear landed in front of him, its tip embedded in the wood. He jumped back and looked around to see who threw it. Standing on a ledge was Undyne, who had another spear in her hand. She drew a line across her throat, then threw the spear.

Shinji bolted down the boardwalk. Many spears landed behind him, but some landed in front of him. So far, none of them were hitting him, and he hoped to keep it that way. Up ahead, he saw another field of tall grass. He ran into it just as he heard something land behind him.

He picked a corner to hide and ducked down. He could hear Undyne's metal footsteps approach him. He held his breath when she stopped. Something rustled in front of him and she grabbed it and pulled it up.

"Yowch!"

It was the Monster Kid. Undyne stared at him for a few seconds, then set him down and walked away. Shinji waited until she was gone before he came out of hiding. The grass rustled again and the Monster Kid came out with him.

"Yo, did you see that?!" He asked. "Undyne just touched me! I'm never washing my face ever again! Man, are you unlucky!"

"But if she got me…" Shinji looked away.

"Yo, don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again!"

The Kid started to run, but tripped and landed on his face again. Just like last time, he managed to get back up without assistance and was off once more. Shinji sighed and proceeded.

He found himself in another corridor with stones on the ceiling. Standing off to the side with a telescope was Sans. He waved Shinji over.

"i'm thinking about going into the telescope business." He said. "i would normally charge 50,000g to use this premium telescope, but since i know you, you can use it for free."

"Thanks, Sans." Shinji said.

He didn't know what he could find up in the ceiling, but he decided to be nice and take up San's offer. He pressed his eye to the eyepiece of the telescope, but all he saw was pink. He blinked and realized that the area around his eye was wet.

"hey, uh, you got something on your eye." Sans grinned. He pulled out a napkin and said, "here."

Shinji took it and wiped his eye. He blinked again when he saw that the white napkin was now stained pink. He looked at the telescope, then at Sans.

 _Pranked again…_

"not satisfied?" Sans asked. "i'll give you a full refund."

"But I never…oh."

"yeah, you're getting it now. oh, before i forget, there's something you need to know. there's someone looking for you."

"Undyne, I know."

"her too, but this certain someone…well, i think you should be friends with him."

"Him? Who is he?"

"didn't tell me his name, but you'll know him when you see him. honestly, i think befriending him would be the best thing for you to do in the long run."

Shinji handed the napkin back and said, "Thanks for the advice."

"anytime, pal. don't let undyne get you."

He nodded and went to the next room. He was surprised to see the Nice Cream Guy and his cart again, as well as a teardrop-shaped monster. The monster walked away with a Nice Cream in its hand. The Guy's ears perked up when he saw Shinji.

"Hey! It's you again!" He said. "I took your advice and moved my cart to somewhere slightly warmer. I got a few customers, but," his ears drooped, "business is still slow."

"I'm sorry," Shinji said, "but you're doing better here, aren't you?"

"I am, and fortunately, I've thought of a solution: punch cards! Each time you buy a Nice Cream, you get a punch card. Collect three punch cards and you get a free Nice Cream! That should bring in more customers and keep them coming!"

"Maybe. Can I have a Nice Cream?"

"Sure thing! You want soda flavor again?"

"Um, vanilla."

Shinji gave him 15G and he handed him a wrapped Nice Cream pop, as well as a little card with a hole in it. He felt a little sad when he read what was on it: "please…please come back". He unwrapped the wrapper and read what was inside it: "Love yourself! I love you!"

"Excuse me," Shinji said, "but do these wrappers say the same thing all the time?"

"No," the Nice Cream Guy shook his head, "there are several different encouraging messages you can get. Why, did you get a repeat wrapper?"

He nodded.

"Well, I think something might be trying to tell you something, you know? Have a nice day!"

Shinji nodded again and ate his Nice Cream as he walked away.

The next area had many patches of ground in the middle of the watery area, and all of them had bridges linking them, thankfully enough. He kept his guard up, but nothing came at him. He now realized that he had never found the source of the ringing from earlier. He pulled out his phone and tried calling Toriel again.

He yelped and dropped his Nice Cream when he heard the ring directly behind him.

He turned around and saw the white dog with the annoying grin. The ringing came from him, strangely enough. He walked up to the dropped Nice Cream and ate it all, including the stick. He then wagged his tail and trotted on ahead.

 _He…ate the whole thing. Wait, could he have eaten Toriel's phone? I've heard of dogs eating strange things but…is that thing even a dog?_

Shinji remembered what Papyrus said and made a note to himself to better secure what little belongings he had. He continued on until saw another plaque. This one read: "The power to take their souls; this is the power that the humans feared."

The next room was a long corridor surrounded by water. He stopped when he saw what looked like a pale yellow tentacle sticking out of the water. He immediately thought that it was a squid monster that would drag him under once he got close. Another tentacle poked out, then a giant head that certainly did not belong to a squid.

It was a giant onion with a happy face.

"Hey…there…" It spoke. "Noticed you were…here…I'm Onionsan! Onionsan, y'hear!"

Shinji was startled by its sudden outburst. He said, "I-I'm Shinji."

"Did I startle you? Sorry! It's just…that…I haven't talked to anyone in a long time. Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Shinji! I can walk with you to the end of the room, if you like."

"Uh, sure."

He started to slowly walk down the room, with Onionsan walking (swimming?) beside him.

"So you're visiting Waterfall, huh? It's great here, huh? You love it, huh?"

"Y-yeah, it's nice." Shinji answered.

"Yeah! Me too! It's my Big Favorite, even though…the water's getting so shallow here…I have to sit down all the time, but…"

"I'm so—."

"B-but that's okay! It beats moving to the city and living in a crowded aquarium, like all my friends did!" It frowned. "And the aquarium's full a-anyway, so even if I wanted to, I…"

"Your friends moved aw—?"

"That's okay, though! Y'hear?! Undyne's gonna fix everything, y'hear?! I'm gonna get out of here and live in the ocean, y'hear?!"

 _But nothing can live in the ocean…_

Shinji saw that they had reached the end of the room already. Onionsan noticed this as well and said, "Hey…there…we reached the end of the room. H-have a good time!"

Onionsan sank into the water. Shinji could tell that it really liked his company, and he actually wouldn't mind if it talked some more. He lowered his head and decided that he should move on.

He found himself in more caves with little waterfalls. Continuing straight, he saw more plaques. He once again read them to himself.

" _This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul. When a monster dies, its soul disappears. An incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster. There is only one exception: the soul of a special species of monster called a 'Boss Monster'. A Boss Monster's soul is strong enough to persist after death, if but for a few moments. A human could absorb this soul, but this has never happened, and now it never will."_

 _So, does that mean that Boss Monsters are stronger than normal monsters? I wouldn't be surprised if Undyne was one of them._

Past the hallway with the plaques was a stone statue of a monster. Water dripped onto it from a hole in the ceiling. Sitting next to it was a small gold fox with a red orb in its mouth. It looked eerily similar to the gold fox that was on Gyftrot, yet it was motionless. Shinji decided to take a closer look.

The fox lightly clenched its jaws and the orb squeaked. It narrowed its eyes and growled. Shinji backed away and nearly tripped over something. After regaining his balance, he looked to see what it was.

It was the Annoying Dog.

He approached the fox, which continued to growl. It stood up and ran off with the orb in its mouth. The dog chased after it, his annoying grin never fading from its face.

 _Odd…_

His phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?"

"HEY AGAIN, SHINJI!" Papyrus said on the other end. "HAVE YOU SEEN THAT ANNOYING DOG YET?"

"Yeah, he was chasing after a fox."

"A FOX, YOU SAY? WAS THIS FOX GOLD, BY ANY CHANCE?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"THE DOGS OF THE ROYAL GUARD HAVE BEEN AFTER THAT THING SINCE IT SHOWED UP. DON'T KNOW WHEN IT SHOWED UP, THOUGH…THE THING ABOUT THAT FOX IS…IT ALWAYS THINKS IT'S SOMETHING OTHER THAN A FOX. IT'S BEEN A DOG, A CAT, A LOG, A RAT…IT'S EVEN BEEN A DOOR AT ONE POINT."

"A…door? Is it dangerous?"

"NO, BUT SINCE THE DOGS HAVE GONE CRAZY OVER IT, EVERYONE'S BEEN AFTER IT. KINDA LIKE THAT RARE PRIZE YOU MIGHT GET FROM DRINKING MTT COLA. WAIT…I HAVE A CAN OF MTT COLA RIGHT HERE!" There was a pause. "NOPE, NO PRIZE THIS TIME! I'M OFF TO BUY MORE! TALK TO YOU SOON, SHINJI!"

He hung up. Shinji decided not think too much about what happened earlier. He kept walking until he saw an umbrella stand next to a sign. The sign read: "Please take one."

Thinking that he might need it soon, he took an umbrella. Continuing onwards, he could see why the sign told him to take an umbrella: the ceiling was dripping with water. He opened it up and kept walking. Up ahead, he saw the Monster Kid, who was getting wet.

"Here." Shinji called out.

The Kid turned around and smiled when he saw Shinji, who moved the umbrella to make room for him. He ran and took cover under it.

"Thanks, yo!" He said.

"You're welcome."

They continued on together.

"Man, Undyne is so cool!" The Kid said. "She beats up bad guys and never loses!"

"What bad guys?" Shinji had to ask.

"Humans, duh! Boy, if I was a human, I would wet the bed every night knowing she was going to beat me up!" He laughed. "So, one time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king—we had to call him Mr. Dreemurr—volunteered to donate his flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking 'Yo! How cool would it be if Undyne came to school?! She would beat up all the teachers!'"

"Beat up the teachers? W-would she really do that?"

"…No, she's too cool to hurt an innocent person. Hey! Look!"

They had left the caves. In the distance was a large castle. The Monster Kid said, "The king's castle always looks cool from here, but I bet it's not as cool as where Undyne lives!"

 _The king's castle…that's where I have to go if I want to leave. Looks pretty far…can I make it?_

Shinji clenched and unclenched his fist.

 _I…I have to._

Shinji and the Monster Kid found another umbrella holder once they were out of the dripping area. Shinji folded the umbrella and placed it back. When he tried to continue, he saw that the way was blocked by a tall ledge. He jumped up and grabbed onto the ledge. He tried to pull himself up, but found that he didn't have the arm strength to do so.

"Yo," the Kid said, "looks like you need help. Here, I'll get under you. Put your feet on my shoulders and I'll give you a boost."

"I might be too heavy." Shinji pointed out.

"Won't know until we try."

Shinji felt his feet touch the Kid's shoulders. He stood up, giving the boost Shinji needed. He pulled himself up the ledge. He turned around and reached his arms down to help the Kid up, but then realized that he couldn't do much since he didn't have arms.

"Man, you _are_ heavy!" The Kid said.

"Sorry. How am I supposed to help you up?"

"It's alright; I'll find another way, I always do!"

"T-thank you."

Shinji stood up and went on alone. He saw two more plaques, which he read to himself.

 _"The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single soul was taken, and countless monsters turned to dust…" How long ago did this happen? Hundreds of years ago? Thousands?_

Up ahead, he could see a wooden bridge. There were more waterfalls off to the side and one big pool of water down below. Shinji told himself not to look down when he started to make his way across.

Blue spears suddenly shot up from below, just barely missing him.

He jumped back and looked around. He heard metal footsteps below him and he finally looked down. Underneath him was another bridge, and on it was Undyne, glaring up at him. He started running.

Fortunately for him, he was able to tell when the spears were about to come up. Blue spots would appear on the bridge before they shot up. He stopped when a wall of spears had appeared in front of him. This attack left a large gap in the bridge. He heard something heavy land on the bridge behind him and he turned around.

Standing a few feet away from him was Undyne. More spears appeared and landed between them, separating the section Shinji was on from the rest of the bridge. He screamed as both he and the broken section fell. The last thing he saw was Undyne glaring down at him.


	9. 3-9

_**Evangelion**_ **: the series where everyone needs counseling.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: the series where everyone needs love (not LOVE).**

 **This fanfiction: the story that needs encouragement from viewers like you.**

 **Note: This chapter has been redone due to future ideas not working out.**

* * *

The boy with red eyes entered the Wishing Room. Last time, he never took the time to look at anything related to the monsters' cultural side. At the time, all that mattered to him was finding Shinji, no matter what, or who, got in his way. Of course, after what happened last time…

" _You…you killed them?! Why?! They never did anything wrong! They were my friends, Kaworu! I…I hate you! I hate you!"_

It had hurt them to hear those words directed at him, so he resolved not to kill any monsters, even if they did try to stop him for whatever reason.

Passing through Snowdin, he could see that monsters were not unlike the Lilin. Seeing this made him curious about monsters in general. They are neither Angels nor Lilin, yet they seem so much like the latter. Now, looking around in the Wishing Room, he could see yet another similarity between the two.

 _They both have desires in their hearts. Wishes…I never thought I would have one, but…_

* * *

" _It sounds like it came from over here…Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you? Are you okay? Here…what's your name? Chara? That's a nice name. My name is…"_

Shinji woke up and saw a familiar floor: yellow flowers. He sat up and saw that he had landed on a patch of flowers. He saw that he was at the bottom of the pool, and that he was completely surrounded by piles of garbage. Undyne was nowhere to be seen.

Relieved to be unharmed and out of danger, he stood up and started to make his way past the garbage. He moved by stepping on the garbage and pieces of the broken bridge, but he had to step into the water eventually. He found that the pool reached just above his ankles, and that most of the water was pouring down over the edge.

Looking at the garbage, he saw some familiar looking things: a bicycle, brand name food bags, a cooler, and even an anime DVD. There was also a dummy standing off to the side with cotton sticking out of a few spots. Up ahead, there was a door leading out. He was about to leave when something jumped and landed in front of him.

It was the dummy, though it was now glaring and literally red with anger.

"You!" It said. "You think you can run away from me?!"

"Run away?" Shinji asked back. "I didn't even think you could—!"

"Talk? Because I'm a dummy?! I am a ghost that lives inside this dummy. My cousin used to live in a dummy, too, until _you_ came along! You…! You…shucks! You were really boring! They got annoyed and flew away like any self-respecting spectre."

"I-I didn't know what to say to it!"

"Didn't know what to say to it?! You're more of a dummy that they were! (Wait, would that be considered a compliment?) Well then. Well then! WELL THEN! Boring people are crumbs sticking to the face of this world. Human! I'll wipe you away with the dainty handkerchief of vengeance!"

"I don't want to fight you!"

"You don't? TOO BAD! Even if you did, you can't hurt me! Dummies! Get out here and attack this human!"

Many tiny little dummies appeared around Shinji and fired white spheres at him. He picked a direction to run and jumped over the attacks. Some of them hit the Mad Dummy and he recoiled in pain.

"Ow!" He howled. "You dummies! Watch where you're aiming your magic attacks!"

Shinji stared at it.

 _Magic? So he'll stop if I can get them to keep hitting him?_

"Hey! You!" It yelled at Shinji. "Forget I said anything about magic! Dummies! Attack again, and don't hit me this time!"

The mini-dummies fired more attacks.

"I'll defeat you and take your soul! I'll cross the barrier, I'll stand in the window of a fancy store, THEN EVERYTHING I WANT WILL BE MINE!"

Shinji kept dodging and more attacks hit the Mad Dummy. It started to dance around in an attempt to avoid its own attacks. Meanwhile, the mini-dummies never stopped attacking.

"Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH! Pitiful. Pitiful! PITI—OW!" It stopped moving. "Hey guys!"

The mini-dummies stopped attacking.

"Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said not to shoot at me? Well…you're all failures! You're fired!"

They cast their eyes downwards and vanished.

 _Is it over?_

As if reading his mind, the Mad Dummy laughed and said, "Don't think this is over yet, human! Now you'll see my true power: relying on dummies that aren't garbage! DUMMY BOTS! MAGIC MISSILE!"

Mechanized mini-dummies appeared and fired missiles at Shinji. He dodged, but found that the missiles followed him. He ran in circles until they veered off course, hitting the Mad Dummy.

"DUMMY BOTS! TRY AGAIN!"

They fired more missiles. Shinji kept running out of the way until they hit the dummy again.

"DUMMY BOTS! You're awful?! That's it! FINAL ATTACK!"

Several of them propelled themselves at Shinji while the rest fired more missiles. It was hard dodging two attacks at once, and one of the bots knocked him down face first into the water. However, that moved just happened to save Shinji, for instead of hitting him, the missiles flew over him and hit the Mad Dummy once more.

"Awful. Awful! AWFUL!" It shouted. "All of you, get out of my sight!"

The mechanical mini-dummies vanished.

"I DON'T NEED FRIENDS! I HAVE KNIVES!"

A knife suddenly appeared in the air and flew at him. Shinji ran off to the side, successfully dodging the knife. The Mad Dummy narrowed its eyes.

"I'm…out of knives…BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER! YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU! We'll be stuck like this forever!"

"Please," Shinji said, "just let me pass and you won't have to see me again."

"Never. Never! NEVER!"

The Mad Dummy laughed maniacally. From above it, white droplets appeared and fell on it. It cringed and shouted, "What the heck is this?! Acid rain?! Oh FORGET IT! I'm outta here!"

It floated away. Shinji looked up and saw a familiar figure drift down to his level. His face lit up and he said, "Napstablook!"

"…Oh, hey Shinji." The ghost said. "…Sorry, I interrupted you, didn't I? As soon as I came over, your friend immediately left...it looked like you two were having fun…"

"No, he attacked me and you saved me. Thank you, Napstablook."

"I…saved you? Wow…nobody's ever thanked me before…I…I'm heading home now. It's just up ahead. You can come with me…or not…no pressure…just offering…"

"Sure."

"…Really? Okay…follow me."

Shinji followed Napstablook through the doorway. They only had to cross through a single room before they reached two oddly shaped houses. Napstablook phased through the door of the left house. Shinji stopped in front of the door, wondering if he should be polite and knock anyways.

"…You can come in…" He heard Napstablook say from the inside.

Shinji opened the door and entered the house. The inside looked like it was falling apart, with cracks on the walls and stains on the ceiling. There were only three things present: a refrigerator, a TV, and an old model computer.

"It's not much," Napstablook said, "but make yourself at home. Oh…you're soaked…"

Shinji looked himself over and saw that he was indeed soaked from when that one dummy bot knocked him down into the water. His clothes were dripping and forming a puddle underneath him. He quickly said, "Sorry! I—!"

"It's alright…I'll get that later…um…you want to get out of those? You'll get sick if you keep wearing them…"

"Huh? But I don't have any other clothes to wear."

"I have a dryer at the back."

"You have a dryer? But aren't you—."

"A ghost…yeah…I don't wear clothes, but…I get in it whenever I get wet."

"You…get in the dryer?"

"Yes…um, you'll have to walk around…"

"But what if your neighbor sees me?"

"He's…not here…but, I'll find something…I'll be back…"

Napstablook left through the still open door. Two minutes passed before he came back with a long piece of pink fabric with stars on it. He set it in front of Shinji and said, "…here…my cousin left this out back when he got better curtains…sorry I couldn't find anything better…"

"It's alright." He closed the door. "Um…can you…?"

"Oh…sorry…"

Napstablook turned around, giving Shinji the privacy he needed. He quickly stripped himself of his clothing and wrapped the curtain around him. He felt silly wearing it, but it was better than wearing wet clothes. He scooped up the wet clothes and went outside and around to the back.

There was indeed a dryer, as well as some trash. He took his things out of his pockets before putting the clothes in. He quickly went back into the house before anyone could see him. Napstablook was in front of his computer with a set of headphones on his head. He looked at his cellphone and SDAT and saw that they were undamaged by the water.

"You like listening to music?" Shinji asked.

"Yes…" Napstablook said. "I also make CDs…want to listen to one?"

"Yeah, I like listening to music, too." He showed him his SDAT.

"That plays music? But it's so small..."

"Hey…why don't we listen to each other's music?"

"…Okay…"

Napstablook removed his headphones and put on the earbuds of the SDAT. Shinji put on the headphones. Napstablook moved the mouse and clicked on a music file. Shinji in turn turned on his SDAT and played track 25.

The music that Shinji heard was a trumpet playing a rather spooky tune. The music then turned electronic, and the spookiness intensified. The last track that played contained a series of "oooh"s. He looked at Napstablook, who was now listening to track 26.

"This is spooky music." Shinji noted.

"…Thanks…" He said. "Your music's good too, Shinji."

Shinji removed the headphones, realizing that several minutes had passed. He said, "I should check on the clothes."

He went back out and stopped the dryer. He checked his clothes and saw that they were still a little damp. He thought that this would be good enough and took them out. He went back inside and changed back into them.

"Thanks for letting me use your dryer, Napstablook." He told the ghost.

He removed the earbuds and said, "Oh…are you leaving already?"

Shinji nodded as he pocketed the SDAT. "Thanks again."

"…You're welcome…and…thanks for visiting…"

Shinji gave a small smile before he left. He was about to go to the next room when he heard someone singing behind him. He turned around and saw a fish monster hiding behind the second house. She sang a few notes, but they sounded off key. She turned her head and made a small noise when she saw Shinji looking at her. She hid behind a garbage can.

"I-it's alright," Shinji tried to reassure her, "I won't hurt you."

She poked her head out.

"Um…my name is Shinji. What's yours?"

"Sh-Sh-Shyren…" She softly said.

"You didn't have to stop singing."

"I…n-no…"

She ducked back behind the garbage can.

"What's wrong?"

"I…c-can't…"

 _She's too shy…_

"Hmm…"

"Hm…?" She poked her head out and hummed.

Seeing that he might be getting somewhere, Shinji hummed a tune. Shyren was quick to pick up the tune and joined in. The next thing they knew, several monsters had gathered to listen. While Shinji kept humming, Shyren's humming turned into singing.

 _Shyren's not bad…and all these monsters came to listen to us._

Shyren glanced around and stopped singing once she noticed that everyone's attention was on her. She was about to hide again when they all burst into applause. She blinked, then smiled.

"I…th-thank you…" She blushed.

The applause slowly died down. Shinji looked at the crowd that had gathered. He recognized Napstablook and Aaron, but he also saw a yellow bird, a few snails, and—.

 _Huh?_

As the crowd dispersed, he noticed that there was someone looking at him; not a monster, but a human. It was a boy around his age with short gray hair and red eyes. What surprised him further was that he was wearing a dark purple plugsuit, showing that he was an Eva pilot. The boy smiled and approached him.

"I've found you, Shinji Ikari."


	10. 3-10

_**Evangelion**_ **: the anime where the girls (and one boy) fall for the main lead.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: the game that has a dating minigame.**

 **This fanfiction: the story that will have romantic tension.**

* * *

Shinji felt like he had seen this boy before. He had a million questions for him, but he started with the one that first came to mind.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself." The boy said. "I'm Kaworu Nagisa, the Fifth Child."

"So you _are_ an Eva pilot. How did you find me? Is Nerv looking for me? Is anyone worried? What about the Angel attacks?"

"One at a time, Shinji. Nerv is looking everywhere for you, and I'm sure people are worried about you. Nerv also had to call in two more Children to deal with the Angels. They seem to have things under control, but I don't know how long that will last. As for how I found you, let's say I had a feeling on where to look."

"You were looking for me? But we've never even met before. Why would you look for me?"

"I've heard how you first went missing, Shinji. You ran away because you didn't want to pilot the Eva. You felt that it was a responsibility you couldn't handle. I looked for you because you have my deepest sympathies."

 _How does he know that? I didn't write that in the note I left for Misato._

Shinji lowered his head and muttered, "Thank you…but now we both have to get out of here."

"Then let's go together, Shinji."

He nodded and they departed.

 _He really does seem familiar…_

"Um…I want to know more about you, Nagisa."

"'Kaworu' is fine." He said. "I like music and playing piano, and I'm always interested in learning new things."

"I like music, too. Um, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why do you pilot the Eva?"

"I do it because I believe that there are certain aspects of humanity that are worth preserving."

"Like what?"

"Like the things that the Li—that humans can create: music, literature, and art. There's also the good things that they can experience, like love."

"Love?"

"You sound doubtful, Shinji."

Shinji turned his head away. "It's just that…I know there's love, but…"

 _I've never been loved._

"It's there, and everyone, even you, can experience it."

They saw a doorway and entered through it. The room was small and filled with junk. There was also an old turtle wearing an archaeologist's outfit.

"Whoa there!" He said with surprise. "I never thought I would see two humans at once down here! I'm Gerson, and I got some neat junk for sale, if you're interested."

"Um," Shinji glanced at the junk, "no thank you."

"Actually," Kaworu spoke, "there are some things I want to ask you."

"Sure! What do you want to know?"

"Your clothes indicate that you've had experience with excavation and history. Can you tell me who wrote the history plaques in this area?"

"Oh, those? They were written by the first monsters that came here. I should know, I was one of them! I was even there during the War!"

"You were in the war?" Shinji asked. "How long ago did it take place?"

"Hoo boy! Thousands of years, I think? I've lost count long ago."

Shinji's eyes widened. "You're thousands of years old?"

Gerson cackled. "Yep! Monsters can live a pretty long time! Heck, I'm older than King Fluffybuns himself and I'm not kicking the bucket anytime soon!"

"King…Fluffybuns?"

"Asgore. Funny story behind that, but I can't quite remember it right now."

Shinji now noticed something familiar on the wall. It was the symbol from the ruins. He pointed to it and said, "I've seen that symbol before. What is it?"

"That?" Gerson said. "That's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom! Great name, huh?" He laughed. "King Fluffybuns was never good at naming things."

"All emblems have meaning." Kaworu noted. "What does that one symbolize?"

"Symbolize? That thing has been around since before those plaques were written. It's all up to speculation, really. I know that those triangles represent monsters, but some monsters think that the winged circle at the top represents the angel from prophecy."

"Angel?" Shinji tensed up.

"Yeah. Legend has it that an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. Of course, nowadays monsters are thinking that it might be an 'Angel of Death', bringing us 'freedom' from this mortal coil. Personally, I think that circle just looks neat."

 _Does that mean one of the Angels is going to destroy this place? I hope not…_

"Thank you for the information." Kaworu said.

"No problem."

The two boys left the room. The next area was slightly dark, with only glowing mushrooms and crystals lighting the place.

 _Now that I think about it, Toriel had that symbol on her robes, too…wait…_

"Did you meet Toriel?" Shinji asked his new companion.

"I did." Kaworu said. "We talked some and she mentioned you. She led me to the exit of the Ruins when I told her that I was looking for you. She misses you, Shinji."

"…I know. If I didn't have to pilot the Eva, then I would have stayed with her. She…"

"She cares about you. You are fortunate to have met someone like her."

"I am. I just wish father was more like her."

 _Why am I telling him this?_

"Shinji, if I could—."

"huMans!" Someone shouted.

Standing in the distance was a little cat with black hair and two sets of ears. Once it shouted, more of them appeared. They all grinned and started vibrating.

"so…CUTE!"

Before they could consider running, they had all tackled them to the ground. Some petted them, some nuzzled them, and all were talking at once. Shinji felt like he was being smothered with fur and cuteness.

"hOI! im temmie!"

"dis is Temmiy!"

"CuuuUUUte! i wanna take dem hOME with TemMIe!"

"petpetpetpet the hUmans!"

"they not alergic to teMs! Yay!"

" **too…much…cUte! i wanna put dem on a boat and sHIp dem!** "

The last one that spoke was actually the gold fox, which was petting Kaworu's hair with its paw. He looked at Shinji and said, "These monsters are quite affectionate."

"I know, but," he sat up and raised his voice, "could you please get off of us?!"

"PEt!"

"Dey so cuTE!"

"cuUuuute! Fsdfsdfsfsdfsdfs!"

"Now, what's got all you Temmies so excited?" A familiar voice asked.

It was Aaron. All the Temmies stopped what they were doing and stared at him. He flexed his muscles.

"nOOo! muscles…nOT cutE!"

"nooOeeWWww!"

"rUn temMies!"

They all fled. The boys stood up and found that they were covered in fur. As they brushed themselves off, Shinji looked at Aaron and asked, "What did you do to make them run?"

"Temmies just don't like muscles." Wink. "Glad I could help out." Wink. He noticed Kaworu and said, "Oh, another friend?" Wink.

"I am," he confirmed, "but can I ask why you're winking so much? Are you implying something that I'm not getting?"

"I'm not implying anything." Wink.

"He just does that…I think." Shinji said. He said to Aaron, "Thanks for chasing off those…them."

"Anytime." Wink.

Aaron left. Kaworu looked at Shinji and lightly touched his hair with his fingers. Shinji jumped back in surprise. Kaworu withdrew his hand and he saw that he had a few Temmie hairs in his pinched fingers.

"You had fur in your hair." He explained.

"O-oh, thanks." "Uh, you…have some, too."

Shinji slowly reached out and pulled out a piece of gold hair off of his head. Kaworu smiled and said, "Thank you, Shinji."

"Y-yeah."

He suddenly frowned and whispered, "Behind you."

Shinji turned around. Sliding up to them was one of the jello monsters that he saw in the Ruins. It stopped and made squelching noises.

"Hello again." Shinji told it.

It quivered, then suddenly stretched upwards several feet until it towered over them. It looked at them and roared. Shinji screamed and ran, with Kaworu running to catch up with him.

They stopped after a minute and turned around to see if the monster was chasing them. Shinji sighed with relief when he saw that they weren't being pursued. He muttered, "That was scary."

"I don't think it wanted to attack us." Kaworu said.

"How do you know that?"

"I didn't sense any hostility."

Shinji lowered his head. "Now I feel bad for running."

They heard the sound of metal footsteps approach them. They both turned around and saw Undyne. She clenched another spear in her hand.

"Another one." She spoke. "It's bad enough having one running around…no, that's actually good. Only one more soul is needed before King Asgore Dreemurr can become a god. With that power, the barrier will finally be broken. With another soul, he will become stronger and he can finally take the surface back from humanity…and give them back the pain and suffering we have endured. Now, both of you, give up your souls or I'll tear them from your bodies!"

"Shinji," Kaworu told him, "you go on ahead. I'll stop her."

"Kaworu, you can't!" Shinji said. "She'll kill you!"

"Don't worry about me, Shinji, I—."

"Undyne!"

The Monster Kid appeared and ran up to her. He said excitedly, "Wow, I finally get to see you fight! But…who are you fighting?"

Undyne groaned and grabbed the Kid by the ear. She dragged him away, saying, "Kid, let me tell you something…"

"Wait…you're not going to tell my parents about this, are you?!"

"Now's our chance." Shinji said.

Kaworu nodded and they left.

The next room was brighter and slightly flooded. Echo Flowers grew everywhere. There was a single plaque on the wall. Shinji read it aloud.

"'However, there is a prophecy: the Angel, the One who has seen the Surface…they will return, and the underground will go empty.' Kaworu, do you think it's talking about the Angels we're fighting right now?"

"I don't think so." He said. "Before Second Impact happened, people believed that angels were messengers from God. Now, no one thinks of them that way anymore."

"Messengers from God…if they are the same Angels, then that's another reason we have to go back: to save the monsters."

"Then let's continue on."

They left the flooded room and came across a narrow bridge. Below them was a long drop. They slowly started to make their way across.

"Yo." A familiar voice said from behind them.

They turned around and saw the Monster Kid. Shinji immediately asked, "Are you alright? Undyne didn't do anything to you, did she?"

"Nah, we only talked, but…you two are humans, right?"

Shinji frowned and nodded.

"Man, I knew it! But…that means we're enemies. Uh, can you say something mean so I can hate you?"

"But we're not enemies."

"Undyne says that all humans are enemies, and she can't be wrong."

"Not all of them are bad." Kaworu said. "You're talking to one of the good ones right now."

He placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder. For some reason he couldn't explain, he didn't shrug it off. He actually didn't mind Kaworu's close presence, and it confused him.

 _Is it because he feels familiar?_

"Well…I don't want to be enemies either. Man…I should just go home."

The Monster Kid turned around to leave when he suddenly slipped and fell. His head hung over the edge of the bridge, and the rest of him threatened to fall off. At the same time, Undyne appeared again.

Shinji looked at her, then at the Monster Kid, and decided that he needed to save him. He ran to his side, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him back up. The kid shakily said, "Th-thanks."

Undyne walked up to them. The Monster Kid stood up and faced her, saying, "D-dude…if you want to hurt them…you have to get through me first…"

"Don't do this." Shinji told him.

Undyne clenched her fist and took a hesitant step back. She then turned around and left. Shinji stared and said, "She…she just left?"

The Monster Kid looked at them and said, "Yo, you really saved my skin. I guess we have to settle for being friends."

"I'd like that."

"Yeah…I _really_ should get home though. My parents must be worried sick about me! Later!"

He left without tripping this time. Kaworu walked up to Shinji and said, "You didn't run when she appeared."

"I couldn't just leave him."

 _He's right…I didn't run away._

"And it looks like you've made a friend. How does it feel, having friends?"

"…It feels nice." He glanced towards where Undyne once was and said, "We should go before she comes back."

"Yes. We're almost out of Waterfall."

 _He seems so sure about that…_


	11. 3-11

_**Evangelion**_ **: smells like LCL.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: smells like dogs.**

 **This fanfiction: smells like NazoFox2501.**

* * *

The room they were in now was dry and cavernous. The boys could hear the wind howling, and it gave Shinji goosebumps. They saw a hole in a rocky cliff leading out and approached it. However, they stopped when a shadow fell on them. They looked up.

Standing on top of the cliff was Undyne.

"Seven." She said. "Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god. Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Through the seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started long ago…"

"We know." Kaworu interrupted. "We've read the plaques."

There was a moment of silence.

"Yeah…you know what? SCREW IT!"

Undyne removed her helmet and threw it off to the side. Her face was blue and had fins off to the side. She also had an eyepatch over her left eye. She glared at Shinji and Kaworu.

"You obviously know the story already," she yelled, "so why should I tell it to you when you're about to die?! You two are standing in the way of everyone's hopes and dreams!" She summoned a spear and pointed it at Shinji. "YOU! I've heard all about you! You're a coward that doesn't want to fight, so you try to make friends with everyone instead! 'Ooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!' You know that everyone would be better off if you were dead!"

Shinji's eyes widened at what she had just said. His voice wavered as he said, "Y-yes…I am a coward, but that's n-not…"

Kaworu glared at Undyne and stepped forward. He coldly said, "You should not have said that."

"And you," she pointed the spear at him, "I don't know what you're trying to pull by acting so cool and all that, but it's pissing me off! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! Now, no more running! Let's end this once and for all!"

She jumped down and swung her spear at them. Shinji and Kaworu backed away, even though the attack wasn't that close to them. They suddenly froze in place. Shinji looked down and saw that his soul was green, as was his friend's. A second spear appeared in Undyne's spare hand and she tossed both of them at them, which they caught. Another spear appeared in her hand.

"As long as you're green," she explained, "you can't run away! You must now fight me head on!"

Many arrow shaped spears surrounded them and fired. Kaworu turned his body and used the spear he got to deflect the attacks. Shinji, however, gave in to the flight part of his instinct and tried to duck. However, he was unable to do that and he was hit by several spears. He winced in pain and gritted his teeth.

"Idiot!" Undyne shouted at Shinji. "You're supposed to block my attacks with my spear! At least your friend knows what he's doing!"

" _Coward! Stop running away!"_

Déjà vu hit him again. The mental image he got this time was himself running away from an angry Undyne. He really felt like he had done this before.

Kaworu gripped the spear and ran forward. He tried to stab Undyne, but she deflected the attack with her own spear. Shinji shouted, "Kaworu! What are you doing?!"

"There's no way around it, Shinji." He said without looking at him. "She's not going to back down."

"This one actually gets it." Undyne said. "Don't think you can talk your way out of this fight!"

More small spears appeared. This time, Shinji was able to use his spear to block them. Meanwhile, Kaworu and Undyne kept trying to hit each other.

 _I can't fight and I can't run, yet I can't let ourselves be killed. What am I supposed to do?_

Undyne jumped into the air and waved her spear. Several large spears appeared and launched themselves at them. They both dodged out of the way, and Shinji realized what he just did. He looked at their souls and saw that they were red again.

"Run, Kaworu!" He shouted.

With the spear still in his hand, he bolted through the opening.

"Shinji!" Kaworu called after him.

"Coward!" Undyne shouted. "Stop running away!"

She landed on the ground and ran after him, with Kaworu chasing after her.

Shinji didn't have to turn his head to know that Undyne was after him. Up ahead, he could see an electric sign that showed the message "Welcome to Hotland" He stumbled and fell on his face. He turned around and saw that Undyne had caught up to him. She waved her spear and his soul was green again.

"Fight me, damn it!" She glared.

More little spears appeared and fired. Shinji was able to deflect most of them, but one got him from behind. Undyne heard footsteps and turned around. She managed to block Kaworu's attack just before his spear struck her. She pushed him back.

"Heh." She said. "Not bad! You actually want to fight, so I won't turn you green again, for now."

Shinji stood up, battered from Undyne's attacks. More spears fired and came at him in different directions. He wildly turned in different directions to block them, but a few still managed to get him. He dropped back down and saw that his heart was red again. A large spear flew at him.

Kaworu jumped in front of him.

"Kaworu!"

The phone suddenly rang. The spear abruptly stopped in midair a foot away from Kaworu's soul. Nothing happened for a few seconds.

"Well?!" Undyne said. "Aren't you going to answer that?!"

"You're trying to kill us and you want me to answer my phone?!" Shinji shouted.

"I can wait a few minutes."

Shinji and Kaworu blinked. Shinji pulled out his phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"SHINJI! WHAT'S UP?!"

"Papyrus?"

"THE ONE AND ONLY! SO, I WAS THINKING…YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD HANG OUT SOME TIME! I THINK YOU TWO WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS!"

"Papyrus, she's trying to kill me right now!"

"OH…I…WAS AFRAID THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. WELL, IN THAT CASE, I'LL GIVE YOU SOME ADVICE! FIRST, IF SHE TURNS YOUR SOUL GREEN AND GIVES YOU A SPEAR, THAT MEANS SHE WANTS YOU TO BLOCK ANY SPEARS SHE SENDS YOUR WAY!"

"I know that already!"

"REALLY? THEN THE ONLY OTHER THING I CAN TELL YOU…IS TO RUN! NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO BEAT UNDYNE EXECPT FOR KING ASGORE!"

"I'm already running from her!"

"WELL, IF YOU DO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE, WHICH I'M SURE YOU WILL, I'LL TALK TO HER. I REALLY THINK YOU TWO WOULD BE GREAT FRIENDS IF YOU GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER."

"I…I don't know about that."

"I'LL LET GO BACK TO RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE NOW. GOOD LUCK!"

Papyrus hung up. Shinji pocketed his phone and stared at Undyne. She tapped her foot impatiently and asked, "Done?!"

Shinji looked at the spear hanging in midair and scooted away from it. Kaworu mimicked this action. Shinji stood up and said, "Y-yeah."

He ran again.

"Are you kidding me?!" She shouted.

She threw the spear at him. Shinji turned his head just in time to see Kaworu take the blow for him. However, instead of hitting him, a familiar looking force field appeared around him and deflected the attack. He stopped and stared.

 _An AT Field?!_

"Kaworu?!" Shinji asked.

"I'll tell you later," he said, "but for now, keep running."

"But I can't leave you behind!"

"I'll catch up, now go."

"No! I won't let you do this!"

Shinji grabbed Kaworu's wrist and pulled.

"We can both run!"

Kaworu blinked, then nodded and they ran together.

The new area they were in was hot. There were tall, rocky ledges and a lake of lava below. There was a bridge, a water cooler, and a sentry booth, which was occupied by Sans. They ran across the bridge. Behind them, they could hear Undyne yelling at Sans.

"What are you doing?!" She said. "You're supposed to stop them, you lazybones!"

"sorry undyne," he said, "but i'm on my break."

She screamed in frustration and went after the boys again. However, just as she reached the end of the bridge, she slowed down and eventually stopped. They turned around and stared at her.

"Armor…so…hot…" She panted. "But…I can't give up…"

She collapsed. Shinji dropped the spear he was carrying and said, "She stopped."

"The heat of this place has gotten to her." Kaworu said. "Now we have the advantage."

He approached Undyne.

"Kaworu? What are you doing?"

"If I don't put an end to her now, she'll just come after us again."

He stopped in front of her and raised his spear.

"No!"

Shinji ran up to him and yanked the spear out of his hands. He threw it into the lava below and said, "You can't kill her!"

Kaworu stared at him with in disbelief. "Shinji, she wants you dead."

"I-I know, but she has friends, like Papyrus! If you kill her, they'll be upset and…and I also want her to know that not all humans are bad!" He ran up to the water cooler and got a cup of water. He went up to her and continued, "And…I'm tired of everyone wanting to fight."

He held the cup in front of Undyne. She blinked in surprise, but took the cup anyways. Instead of drinking it, she splashed the water on her face. She crushed the cup in her hand and stood up.

"You…" She said slowly. "You're helping me out? I…I don't…I don't get it!"

She shook her head and stormed off. Kaworu said, "You never cease to surprise me, Shinji."

"I…I don't want to fight anyone." He said tiredly.

"Not even the Angels?"

"You can't reason with Angels. I fight them because they tell me to and…wait, Kaworu, you had an AT Field. How? I thought only the Angels and Evas had them."

Kaworu lowered his head and said, "I was hoping you didn't have to find out, but…take a good look at my soul."

Shinji realized that he never did look at Kaworu's soul, other than the time it turned green. It was white and glistened with the colors of a rainbow. He said, "My body is that of the Lilin, but my soul is not. You said that you can't reason with Angels, so does that mean that you can no longer reason with me?"

Shinji gaped. "You…you're an Angel? Then…what you said about being a pilot…that was a lie?" He started to panic. "Did you come here to kill me!? Because I pilot the Eva!?"

"I would never intentionally harm you in any way, Shinji, and I've never lied to you. All I want is for you to be happy."

"But why!? The rest of you don't seem to care for anything!"

"The Angels attack for a reason, and I used to have that same reason, but being one of the Lilin, being among them, has shown me many things that are worth preserving."

"Like love?"

"Like love."

Shinji paused to take everything in before asking, "How can I trust you?"

 _Wait, why am I saying that?! He just saved my life!_

He lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Shinji. I understand your distrust. What do you want me to do to show you that I mean you no harm?"

"Don't hide anything from me anymore, please"

"I won't. I will tell you anything and everything you want to know."

"The Angels…why are they attacking?"

"To start Third Impact," Kaworu said grimly, "the extinction of the Lilin, and the chance for the Angels to claim this world. That is why everyone wants you to pilot the Eva: to prevent Third Impact from happening."

"Third Impact? They want me to save the world? I…this is too much! I don't want everyone to depend on me!"

"You're not alone, Shinji." Kaworu lightly took his hand. "There are other pilots who share the same burden, and if anything should happen, I will take that burden from you."

"Even though you're an Angel?"

"That's right."

"Kaworu…" Shinji had never felt this much support before. Looking at him, he could not believe that he was an Angel. He felt his heart swelling and a single tear sneaked out of his eye.

 _He's so human…more human than father ever was._

He sniffled and said, "Thank you."

"Are you ready to go?"

He nodded and they were on their way again.

The path they were on was pretty straight, with the only side path being blocked by two monsters in armor. Shinji had expected them to stop them, but all they did was turn their heads to look at them. They remained where they were even after they had left. Up ahead was a large building with a sign that read: "Lab". The doors slid open and they went inside.

The first thing they felt was the AC, which was really welcoming right now. The room was dim and no one seemed to be around. There was a desk with a computer and piles of papers and empty ramen cups. Next to it was a large TV…with them on the screen.

Shinji looked around and now saw that there was a camera looking at them.

"We're being watched." He noted.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were cameras everywhere else." Kaworu said.

A nearby door opened and a monster stepped out. It looked like a short, yellow reptile wearing glasses and a lab coat. She noticed the boys and gasped.

"Oh my god." She said. "I didn't expect to see you two so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, everything's all messy, and…umm…"

"You're the one watching us?" Shinji asked. "Why?"

"Oh…that…umm…" She fidgeted. "L-let me introduce myself first. I'm Dr. Alphys, Asgore's royal scientist! B-but ahhh, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'! I-I've been watching your adventure since you left the Ruins a-and I was supposed to stop you, but I saw how you were making friends a-and I started rooting for you, especially you, Shinji, since you really remind me of myse—a-ah, I mean and I want to help you now!"

"You can help us?" Kaworu asked. "How?"

"Using my knowledge, I can guide you out of Hotland, and I know a way to Asgore's castle!" She fidgeted again and said in a small voice, "Uh…actually, there's just one tiny issue."

"Issue?" Shinji said.

"Y-you see, a long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot, uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something. A-anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments like…anti…antihuman combat features?"

"You built a robot to kill us?"

"O-of course, when I saw you coming, I immediately decided to remove those features! Unfortunately, I might have made a teensy mistake while doing so and…uh…now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?" Alphys laughed nervously.

"Then we just have to make sure we don't run into him." Kaworu said.

Something banged from inside the wall.

"I may have spoken too soon."

Shinji stammered, "I-Is that…?"

"Oh no…" Alphys's face went pale.

The banging continued until something busted through. Pieces of the wall scattered and dust filled the room. Just as the dust settled, something rolled in through the newly formed hole and made its presence known.

"OHHHHH YES!"


	12. 3-12

_**Evangelion**_ **: doesn't have meta.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: has meta.**

 **This fanfiction: has a ton of meta.**

* * *

The thing that rolled in was a rectangular robot with a grid monitor. It had metal arms with gloves and it rolled on a single wheel. It held a microphone with one hand while it waved at everyone with the other.

"WELCOME BEAUTIES," Mettaton announced, "TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"

Two disco lights and an electric sign reading "Game Show" lowered from the ceiling. Studio audience applause could be heard coming from nowhere. Shinji didn't know if he should be terrified like Alphys or confused like Kaworu.

"OH BOY!" Mettaon said with enthusiasm. "I CAN ALREADY TELL THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! LET'S INTRODUCE OUR TAG TEAM CONTESTANTS: SHINJI AND KAWORU! GIVE THEM A BIG HAND, FOLKS!"

There was more studio audience applause.

"A-a quiz?" Shinji asked. "What kind of quiz?"

"And what are the rules?" Kaworu asked warily.

"OH, NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, DARLINGS? IT'S SIMPLE! I'LL ASK YOU A FEW MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. GET THEM WRONG…AND YOU DIE!"

Shinji and Alphys gulped. The sign went blank.

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE: WHAT'S THE PRIZE FOR ANSWERING CORRECTLY?"

The choices appeared on the sign.

A. Money B. Mercy

C. A new car D. More questions

Kaworu folded his arms and said, "The prize for answering correctly? This is a quiz show, so there's going to be more questions."

"'MORE QUESTIONS'? IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER?"

"Yes."

"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!"

Confetti drifted down from the ceiling and fanfare music played. Alphys gave the boys a thumbs up.

"OKAY, NEXT QUESTION: WHAT IS THE KING'S FULL NAME?"

A. Lord Fluffybuns B. Fuzzy Pushover

C. Asgore Dreemurr D. Dr. Friendship

"I know this one," Shinji spoke up, "it's Asgore Dreemurr."

"CORRECT! OF COURSE, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT, BUT ENOUGH OF ABOUT THAT, LET'S TALK ABOUT ME. WHAT ARE ROBOTS MADE OF?"

A. Hopes and Dreams B. Metal and Magic

C. Snips and Snails D. Sugar and Spice

"Metal and Magic, I would guess." Kaworu said.

"RIGHT AGAIN! TOO EASY? WELL, HERE'S A TOUGH ONE: TWO TRAINS, TRAIN A AND TRAIN B, DEPART FROM STATION A AND STATION B AT THE SAME TIME. STATION A AND STATION B ARE 252.5 MILES APART FROM EACH OTHER. TRAIN A IS MOVING AT 124.7 MPH TOWARDS STATION B, AND TRAIN B IS MOVING AT 253.5 MPH TOWARDS STATION A. IF BOTH TRAINS DEPARTED AT 10:00 A.M. AND IT IS NOW 10:08, HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL BOTH TRAINS PASS EACH OTHER?"

A. 31.054 minutes B. 16.232 minutes

C. 32.049 minutes D. 32.058 minutes

Shinji gaped at the question. He looked to Kaworu for answers, but he shook his head. He looked at Alphys and saw that she was fiddling with her hands. She moved her fingers so that she formed the letter "D". She made eye contact with Shinji and he understood that she was helping them out.

"32.058 minutes." He said.

"WONDERFUL! I AM ASTOUNDED, FOLKS! HERE'S ANOTHER ONE FOR YOU: HOW MANY FLIES ARE IN THS JAR?"

An image of a jar filled with flies appeared on his monitor.

A. 54 B. 53

C. 55 D. 52

Alphys glanced at the image and made the letter "A" with her hands. Kaworu seemed to notice this and he said, "54 flies."

"CORRECT! YOU ARE SO LUCKY TODAY! OKAY, TIME FOR A MEMORY GAME: WHAT MONSTER IS THIS?"

The image was replaced with a partial picture of a frog.

A. Froggit B. Whimsun

C. Moldsmal D. Mettaton

"Froggit" was the first thing that came to Shinji's mind, yet Alphys signed the letter "D" with her hands. She had been right so far, so he decided to trust her yet again.

"It's Mettaton." Shinji said.

The image zoomed out, showing Mettaton wearing a shirt with a picture of a frog monster on it.

"AND I THOUGHT I HAD YOU FOOLED! HERE'S A GOOD ONE: WOULD YOU SMOOCH A GHOST?"

A. Heck yeah B. Heck yeah

C. Heck yeah D. Heck yeah

 _Is he serious?_

Shinji looked at Alphys, who only scrunched up her face as if to say "Really?" Only partially phased by the question, Kaworu answered, "Heck yeah."

"I LOVE THAT ANSWER! THIS NEXT QUESTION IS SIMPLE: HOW MANY LETTER ARE IN METTATONNNNNNNNNNNN—."

The numbers in the answer panel increased with the letters. Nevertheless, Alphys signed the letter "C".

"C." Shinji answered.

"OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE EASY FOR YOU! TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS: IN THE DATING SIMULATION VIDEO GAME 'MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE', WHAT IS MEW MEW'S FAVORITE FOOD?"

Before the answers could show up, Alphys raised her hand excitedly and blurted out, "Oh! Oh! I know this one! It's snail ice cream! In the fourth chapter everyone goes to the beach and she buys ice cream for all her friends, but it's snail flavor and she's the only one who wants it! It's one of my favorite parts of the game because it's actually a very powerful message about friendship…and…uh…"

Everyone stared at her.

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS," Mettaton scolded, "YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANTS, ARE YOU?"

"I…no…"

"OOOOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK ONE LAST QUESTION, ONE I'M _SURE_ YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO: WHO DOES DR. ALPHYS HAVE A CRUSH ON?"

A. Undyne B. Asgore

C. You D. Don't know

Alphys blushed and rapidly shook her head. Shinji and Kaworu looked at each other.

"What do you think?" Shinji asked him.

"I have a suspicion…" Kaworu said. He looked at Mettaton and said, "I believe that Alphys has a crush on—."

"Don't say it!" Alphys pleaded.

"…Shinji."

Shinji and Alphys gaped at him.

"…No way." Alphys said.

"SERIOUSLY?" Mettaton asked. "MAY I ASK WHY YOU THINK THAT?"

"She said that she's been watching us," Kaworu explained, "and she nearly slipped that Shinji reminded her of herself. I can see how she might develop a crush on him."

"…I LOVE IT! WHAT YOU HAVE JUST DESCRIBED IS JUST ONE OF MANY KINDS OF LOVE. SERIOUSLY, THOUGH, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHO SHE HAS A CRUSH ON—."

"Don't!" Alphys pleaded again.

"IT'S ACTUALLY UNDYNE."

Her face turned crimson and she hid it in her hands.

"Undyne?" Shinji asked.

"YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES FANFICTION OF THEM LIVING A DOMESTIC LIFE TOGETHER, YET SHE'S TOO ASHAMED TO POST THEM ON THE INTERNET."

Shinji and Alphys said nothing.

"You said that that was the last question, right?" Kaworu asked.

"YES. WELL….WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU OUT, THIS SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! BUT! THIS IS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT TIME: MORE DRAMA, MORE ROMANCE, MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!"

Mettaton rolled back through the hole he had made in the wall and was gone.

"Well, that was certainly something." Alphys said.

"Yeah…" Shinji nodded. "Uh…Alphys? What are we going to do?"

"W-well, if Mettaton shows up again, I'll do what I can to help you out from here. Oh! That reminds me! Let me give you my phone number."

Shinji took out his phone and opened it up. Alphys stared and asked, "W-where did you get that phone? It's ancient!"

"It is," Shinji admitted, "but it's the only—."

"I can upgrade it for you! Uh, if you like?"

"Sure?"

Shinji handed his phone to her. She ran into a nearby room and shut the door. Various noises came from the room, including what sounded like a cat. A minute later, she came back out with a new phone. She handed it back to Shinji."

"Here you go!" She said. "It can do texting, has a keychain; I even signed you up to UnderNet, the Underground's most popular social network! I already added myself as your first friend, so…um…"

"Thanks." Shinji said.

"Oh! Uh, you're welcome! Um…take care out there, alright?"

"We'll be careful." Kaworu said.

Alphys nodded and went back into the room. The boys went to the other end of the lab and left to continue on through Hotland.

They took a few steps outside when Shinji's new phone buzzed. He took it out and saw that he had multiple friend requests on UnderNet. He stared at the list in amazement.

"Napstablook, Papyrus, Sans, Loox, Snowdrake, Temmie, Temmie, Temmie, Temmie, Bob…" He read the rest in silence. He accepted them all as friends.

Kaworu looked over his shoulder and said, "You've made a lot of friends here, Shinji."

"Yeah," he gave a small smile, "and I hope I can remain friends with them even after I return."

"You will if you want to."

The phone buzzed again, this time with a post from Alphys.

[just realized that i didn't watch the human fight undyne v.v]

Another post from her soon followed.

[well i know she's unbeatable i'll ask her abt it later ^.^]

"It doesn't seem like she's aware that we can see her posts." Kaworu observed.

Shinji nodded. He hung onto his phone as they went ahead. They saw a conveyor belt and rode it to the next part of Hotland. They blinked when they saw a small airplane wearing a cap parked in front of them, blocking their way.

"Huh?" She said. "H-humans?"

"Is that a real airplane, or another monster?" Shinji wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but let me try the friendly approach." Kaworu told him. He took a step towards the plane and said, "Hello, I'm—."

The plane blushed and backed away. She said, "O-oh wow! You're approaching me—but that doesn't mean I like you back! No way. Nuh uh."

"I was just trying to be—."

"I mean, I like you, but I don't _like_ like you…Idiot."

The plane's blush turned crimson and it took off into the air. They stared at where she had left, both confused about her behavior. Kaworu asked, "I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

"I don't think so." Shinji said.

"How are you able to make friends with the monsters here?"

"I…I just be nice and listen to them."

"It's curious that you seem to have an easier time making friends with monsters than with humans. I wonder why that is?"

"I don't know. I just get along better with them, I guess."

"Is it because you can relate to them?"

Shinji blinked and said, "Yeah. They want friends and they're nice and…I really can relate to them."

"You know, Shinji, I think you being here—."

He was interrupted by a buzz from Shinji's phone.

[saw the fight with undyne]

[kaworu's like a knight prtecting his princess _ ]

[any1 else think he n shinji look cute together ^o^]

Shinji blushed and put his phone away.

 _Cute?! Together?! But we're both guys! And is she calling me a_ princess _?!_

"Shinji?" Kaworu asked. "Why are you so flustered?"

"N-nothing!" He blurted out. "Let's just go!"

Shinji briskly walked on ahead. He saw several mechanical platforms with strong jets of steam rushing out of them. A little monster that looked like a walking, smiling volcano walked up to an arrow one of the platforms and the steam shot him forward.

"Weeeee!" He shouted with glee.

He landed in front of Shinji and said, "Oh! Hi there! I'm Vulkin! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Shinji." He said back to the monster.

Kaworu caught up with Shinji and noticed Vulkin. He gave a small smile and said, "Hello."

"Hi! I'm Vulkin! Um, say, I have a question: does my lava really heal others?"

"Lava…heals?" Shinji asked. "No, lava burns you. Don't you know that?"

Vulkin stopped smiling and cast his eyes downward. "I…I guess not. I tried to heal other monsters, but they said that my lava hurts them. I…I just wanted to help, but I made things worse…How can I help?"

"You seem to be nice." Kaworu noted. "Why not offer kind words?"

"Kind words?"

"They may be small, but they go a long way in helping people feel better."

"I…yeah!" Vulkin beamed. "I can help with my words! I can cheer people up! Life is good! Thank you!"

Vulkin walked away while singing a cheery tune. Shinji watched him go, then looked at the steam jets. He said, "He was using them to get across, but won't they burn us if we touch them?"

Kaworu walked up to one jet and moved his hand over it. Shinji gasped and shouted, "What are you doing, Kaworu?!"

The force of the steam blew his hand upwards, so he withdrew it. He observed, "It isn't hot, but it's very strong. I think…"

He stepped into the jet and it propelled him forward. He landed on the next platform on his feet. He looked at Shinji and said, "It's fine. Come on over, Shinji."

"Kaworu, you could have gotten your hand scalded!" Shinji called out. "Why did you even try that?!"

"You just saw Vulkin cross over without any issues. Not all monsters can fly, so I assume that they all use this to get to where they want to go. If so, then the steam can't hurt them, especially if they were built for the purpose of getting monsters across."

"But…I guess you're right."

Shinji cautiously approached the steam jet. He found himself propelled forward and he yelled. He crash landed into Kaworu's open arms.

"I got you." He reassured him.

He blushed again and broke away from the unexpected embrace. "Th-thanks."

They continued through the rest of the steam jet path with little problems. Shinji landed on his hands and feet and stumbled each time, but Kaworu seemed to land with the grace of a cat. Shinji couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Once they were done, the phone buzzed again. Shinji took it out and saw another post from Alphys.

[I HATE USING THE PHONE I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LMAO ^.^ ]

[omg, i should just call them]

The phone rang. Just as Shinji was about to answer it, it stopped. It rang once more and this time he was able to answer it.

"Hello?" He said.

"Uhh, hi. Alphys here!" Alphys said nervously. "Um…so…there's something up ahead that you need to know about."

"What is it?"

"It'll be better if you see it first."

He nodded and they both walked up ahead. There was a metal platform with blue and orange lasers over it. The blue ones moved back and forth while the orange ones were still. He asked Alphys, "You're talking about these?"

"Y-yeah." She said. "The blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move. O-orange ones, um…y-you have to be moving and they…um…move through those. Uh…that's it for now. Bye!"

Kaworu stepped forward and said, "I see a switch on the other side. It most likely deactivates the lasers." He looked at Shinji and said, "I'll go first and turn them off so you can cross over safely."

"Okay," Shinji said, "be careful, Kaworu."

The phone buzzed again.

[OMG I DID IT!]

[claws haven't shook like that since undyne called to ask me about the weather…v.v]

 _The Underground has weather?_

Shinji lowered his phone and watched Kaworu brave the lasers.

He walked through the orange lasers without stopping. He stopped short in front of a blue laser and it passed harmlessly through him. Though the lasers seemed to make tricky patterns in their placement, they did not deter him. He reached the end without any problems and he pressed the button. All the lasers were deactivated, leaving a clear path for Shinji to go through.

They were about to continue when the phone buzzed again. Along with a post from Alphys, there was a picture of a garbage can with pink filters.

[CUte PIC OF ME RIGHT NOW ^.^]

"Is that how she really sees herself?" Kaworu asked.

"I don't think so." Shinji answered. "At least, I hope not."

Another post came in.

[Oh My God i Forgot to Tell THem Where To Go.]

The phone rang and Shinji answered it, knowing it was Alphys.

"Hello?"

"Hey! A-A-Alphys here!" She stammered. "S-so, if you…um…go up ahead, you can see three ways to go."

He nodded and they walked forward. They saw a platform with steam shooting in different directions at few second intervals. To the left and right were paths that led to two small, similar looking buildings. Up ahead was a large electronic door that looked like it was off.

"Th-that door w-won't open until you beat the puzzles to the left and right." Alphys instructed. "I…I think you should go right first. Good luck!"

She hung up. The boys followed her advice and went to the right first. There were two monsters sitting near the edge. They didn't pay attention to them, as they were looking at their phones and drinking what Shinji assumed to be coffee. They went into the building.

Inside was a single room with a large screen and a small game control console. There were solid and hollow squares and arrows on the screen. Taped to the wall was a sheet of paper that read: "Shoot the opposing ship! Move the boxes to complete your mission!"

The phone buzzed.

[wonder if it would be unfun if i explained the puzzle…]

"You gonna give that puzzle a try?" A nearby voice asked.

Off in the corner was an orange fox head wearing sunglasses. Shinji's eyes widened when he saw that he didn't have a body. Kaworu asked, "Do you have any advice you can give us?"

"No!" The fox head scrunched up its face. "I keep running out of ammo and it keeps restarting! The door's closed, I can't go to work, and those lazy guys outside won't even help me!"

 _How can he do the puzzle without a body?_

"So the doors weren't always closed?"

"No! They were open like always until a few minutes ago! I don't know what's going on, but I'm mad that nobody's doing the puzzles to open them back up!"

"I'll try." Shinji offered.

"Good luck, kid."

Shinji walked up to the console and pushed the power button. The screen lit up and two red icons appeared next to the bottom arrow. He moved the joystick and found that they didn't move the arrow, but the hollow blocks. He pressed another button and the arrow shot an energy bullet. It hit one of the hollow blocks, destroying it. At the same time, one of the red icons vanished. He destroyed another hollow block and the game reset.

 _I get it. I have to shoot the other arrow, the "ship", but I can only move these hollow boxes and I have two shots. So I can destroy one and save the last shot for the ship._

He manipulated the boxes for half a minute until only one box was in the way. He destroyed that one, then fired at the arrow, destroying it. Retro fanfare played and the word "congratulations" appeared on the monitor.

"You did it!" The fox head cheered.

"It wasn't that bad." Shinji admitted.

"Yeah, but I hear the other one's harder, and I can't even get to that one because it's blocked by a blue laser!"

"It's blocked?"

"We should see for ourselves." Kaworu said.

The boys left the room and made their way to the left. Sure enough, there was an unmoving blue laser blocking the way. The phone rang.

"Alphys?" Shinji asked when he answered it.

"Y-Yeah." She said. "That blue laser may seem impassable, b-but as the Royal Scientist, I h-have some tricks up my sleeve! I'll h-hack into the Hotland laser database and take it out! Just one second…"

The laser turned off and Alphys hung up again. Next to the last room were two monsters in school uniforms. They looked at the boys and one of them said, "Finally! That laser's off!"

"I know," the other monster said, "but the door's still closed."

"We'll get it open." Shinji told them.

"Really? Thanks a lot!"

They went into the other room, which was nearly identical to the previous one. The puzzle had the same mechanics, yet it looked more complicated than the last one. Shinji approached the console and went to work on solving it.

"Do you play video games, Shinji?" Kaworu asked.

"I used to." He answered. "Sensei had an old console like this one, said that it was his father's; it only had one puzzle game, though."

"Was it fun?"

"Sort of, but it was mostly hard. Do you play video games, Kaworu?"

"I've never played one before."

"Oh."

Shinji completed the puzzle and more fanfare played. He stepped back and said, "The door should be open now."

The phone buzzed once more.

[whatever! i'll just explain it!]

It then rang.

"Yes?" Shinji asked.

"Uhhh…" Alphys said. "I think…ummm…so, hey! About those puzzles on the left and right! They're a bit difficult to explain, but…"

"We already did them, Alphys."

"Y-you did? A-awesome! So…ummm…"

She hung up. The boys decided to just move along. When they reached back to the center of the area, they saw that the door was now open. They went through it and found more platforms shooting out steam. Past them was a partially built building. They opened the door and saw nothing but darkness inside.

"I don't like this." Shinji said.

"I don't either," Kaworu shook his head, "but this is the only way forward."

They both went in and started to feel the wall for a light switch when the door suddenly slammed shut behind them.


	13. 3-13

_**Evangelion**_ **: the anime where it's hard to figure everything out.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: the game that spawns many theories about the unexplained.**

 **This fanfiction: has ideas based on EvaGeeks' theories that might make people mad.**

* * *

Shinji yelped when he found that they were in complete darkness.

"Are you alright, Shinji?" He could hear Kaworu ask.

"Yeah," he answered, "just startled."

His phone rang. He looked at its lit monitor and pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"I-I know it's dark there," Alphys said on the other end, "b-but I can hack into the light system and turn the lights on! Just one second—done!"

The lights suddenly switched on. They saw that they were in a kitchen, or, rather, a setting made to look like a kitchen. The rest of the room looked like a film studio with stage lights and cameras set up. Blocking the way out on the opposite end of the room was a wall of electricity.

"Oh no…" Alphys croaked.

From behind the counter, a chef's hat rose up, along with its wearer: Mettaton.

"OHHHHHH YES!" He announced. "WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!"

A pink neon sign lit up, showing the title: "Cooking with a Killer Robot". Studio audience applause could be heard.

 _Now what?!_

"PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY!" Mettaton said to the cameras. "WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING…A CAKE! MY TWO LOVELY ASSISTANTS," he waved an arm towards the boys, "WILL HELP BY GATHERING THE INGREDIENTS! GIVE THEM A BIG HAND, FOLKS!"

There was more studio audience applause.

"Alphys," Shinji whispered into the phone, "what do we do?"

"I-I'm thinking!" She said, obviously sounding panicked.

"FIRST," Mettaton went on, "WE WILL NEED SUGAR, EGGS, AND MILK. BRING THEM OVER HERE, SWEETHEARTS."

They glanced around and saw the listed ingredients sitting on another counter behind them.

"I don't like this." Shinji muttered.

"I don't either," Kaworu muttered back, "but we might as well play along. Besides, I wouldn't mind learning how to bake a cake."

"I don't think he's really going to make a cake, Kaworu…"

They gathered the ingredients and placed them next to Mettaton, all while eyeing him warily.

"PERFECT!" Mettaton clapped his hands. "GREAT JOB, YOU TWO! NOW, WE HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS: SUGAR, EGGS, AND MILK!"

"Wait," Shinji spoke up, "that's not all the ingredients. What about flo—?"

"WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! YOU'RE RIGHT, SHINJI! WE'RE FORGETTING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!"

Mettaton pulled out a chainsaw and revved it up.

"A HUMAN SOUL!"

Shinji cried out in alarm and ran for the door. He tried to open it up, but found that it was locked. Kaworu ran to his side and also tried to open it.

"We're trapped!" Shinji shouted.

"Stand back," Kaworu told him, "I think I can—."

A phone suddenly rang, and it wasn't Shinji's.

"OH!" Mettaton said. "WE HAVE A CALLER! HELLO?"

"W-wait a second!" Alphys voice could be heard on an intercom. "Couldn't you make a…couldn't you use a…a substitution in the recipe?!"

"A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT? WHY?"

"Uh…what if someone's…vegan?"

"…VEGAN."

 _Please fall for it, please fall for it…_

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!" Mettaton said as he stopped the chainsaw and put it away. "ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE: MTT BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE! A CAN…WHICH IS RIGHT OVER THERE!"

He pointed to a small counter with a can on it.

"WHY DON'T YOU TWO GET IT?"

"Us?" Shinji asked.

"BUT OF COURSE! YOU ARE MY ASSISTANTS, AFTER ALL!"

"Yet you came at us with a chainsaw." Kaworu pointed out.

"OH, THAT? DON'T WORRY: WE'RE USING A CAN OF MTT BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE NOW! GO ON NOW, LET'S NOT KEEP OUR AUDIENCE WAITING!"

They slowly stepped away from the door and made their way to the counter, making sure not to turn their backs to the killer robot. Just as they reached it, however, it suddenly shook and shot several stories into the air. They lifted their heads and saw that the tower was nearly touching the ceiling.

"Wha…" Shinji was at a loss for words.

Mettaton wheeled in and said, "BY THE WAY, THIS SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU DON'T GET THAT CAN IN ONE MINUTE, THEN WE'LL HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN! BETTER START CLIMBING!"

A rocket booster replaced his wheel and he shot up into the air. Shinji's phone rang again and he answered, asking, "What are we going to do, Alphys?!"

"There's not enough time to climb that thing!" She said. "Fortunately, I have a plan! You see, when—."

"I'll get it." Kaworu said.

His body began to levitate a few feet off the ground. Shinji's eyes widened and he asked, "How can you do that?!"

"I am able to do this with my AT Field," he answered, "but I can't explain any further right now."

He shot upwards. From the other end of the phone, Alphys suddenly started shouting with such volume that Shinji had to pull it away from his ear.

"He can FLY?! HOW?! Humans can't FLY! That kind of stuff can ONLY happen in anime! For him to FLY WITHOUT wings or equipment, he would have to…"

Shinji stopped listening to her scientific rant and watched Kaworu ascend towards the top. Above him, Mettaton drew out a basket and started dropping an inordinate amount of eggs, sugar, and milk in an attempt to slow him down. Kaworu didn't even have to dodge, as the ingredients bounced off his AT Field. He reached the very top in less than a minute.

"MY MY," Mettaton said, "IT SEEMS THAT WE HAVE AN ACTUAL SUPERMAN HERE, FOLKS! WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYWAYS. HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW? I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME. SO…TOODLES!"

Mettaton jetted towards the wall and crashed through it, leaving a rectangular hole behind. Kaworu levitated back down until his feet touched the ground. Still shouting from the other end, Alphys said, "Let me talk to Kaworu, Shinji!"

Shinji passed the phone to him. He held it up to his ear and said, "I assume you want to know about what I just did."

"YES! Are you psychic?! I remember you mentioning an AT Field! What's that?!"

"I can explain," he said, "but we need to keep moving."

Shinji noticed that the electric wall was disabled, allowing them to continue. As they walked, Kaworu tried his best to explain things to Alphys. Shinji was curious about this, too, so he listened in.

"AT Field is what the Li—what humans call it," Kaworu started, "but it is essentially generated from the soul to protect it. All human souls possess it, but it seems to only serve to separate them from everyone else. You were watching us, so you know that my soul isn't human—."

"Yeah!" Alphys said excitedly. "You said you were an Angel! We don't know much about angels, but I can already see that they are different from both humans and monsters! So, Angel AT Fields can make you fly and protect you from attacks? What about monsters? Do they have AT Fields?"

"Just like you don't know much about Angels, I don't know that much about monsters, but I can safely say that you have them too. All living things have AT Fields, and they can't sustain their forms without them. As my soul is that of an Angel, I can use my AT Field to manipulate certain things around me."

"Oh god, this is so exciting! We really need to talk more about this once you're out of danger! This could—wait, hold up! Look over there!"

They stopped and noticed a gigantic metal building in the distance.

"S-see that building in the distance?" She asked. "That's the Core, the source of all power in the Underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity by…uh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the Core is an elevator that takes you directly to Asgore's castle. From there…you can go home. Uh…be right back!"

She hung up and Kaworu passed the phone back to Shinji. Shinji told him, "When you said that AT Fields separate humans from everyone else, what did you mean by that?"

"Shinji," Kaworu said slowly, "what do you think the Lilin want most?"

"Huh?"

They saw an elevator up ahead and went in it. Kaworu pushed a button and, as the elevator ascended, he said, "I think you know the answer to that question, Shinji."

Shinji lowered his head and asked, "Love?"

"Yes, love. However, if they really want love, then why aren't they closer? Why don't _you_ want to be close?"

"Me? I…I want to be close, but…everyone hurts me."

"You're not the only one who feels that way. All humans want to be close to one another, but they fear that they will get hurt. Their souls generate barriers that separate their forms from one another. Loneliness, the desire to be loved, and the pain that stems from them, is what generates the simplest form of AT Fields for humans."

"That's how it is for humans? What about Angels and Evas?"

"Angel AT Fields are stronger because their souls are different from the Lilins'. However, what generates them is the same."

"So Angels are…lonely? Does it have anything to do with them wanting to start Third Impact?"

"To annihilate all that want to hurt them, to be in a world where nothing is rejected, yes, that is why they want to start Third Impact."

"And…what about you, Kaworu? Are you lonely?"

"No," he smiled at him, "because I have you."

The elevator doors opened up and they stepped out. Shinji turned his head away so that Kaworu wouldn't see his blush. Fortunately, the phone buzzed again, providing a much needed distraction from what he had just heard. He opened it up and saw a photo of a catgirl figurine standing next to a steaming cup of instant ramen.

[dinner with the girlfriend ;) ]

"Does she have any other friends?" Kaworu asked.

Shinji checked her UnderNet profile. "She has me, Undyne, Asgore, Papyrus, and Sans."

"She still seems to be lonely despite—hm?"

He stopped walking. Shinji looked away from his phone to see what Kaworu was looking at. Up ahead was a hotdog stand, which was being managed by Sans. Two monsters, including Vulkin, were sitting nearby and eating hotdogs. The boys approached him and Shinji asked, "You're selling hotdogs now?"

"yep." Sans said. "got to make a living somehow." He looked at Kaworu and said, "hey, you found him. 'grats."

"You know each other?"

"We've talked some." Kaworu said.

"so, you two seem to be getting along quite well. that's good. say, you want to buy a 'dog?"

Shinji looked at the hotdogs and saw that they weren't really hotdogs, but cattails in buns.

"Um, no thanks."

"that's too bad. see you up ahead."

They went on their way. The phone buzzed again and another image was posted, not from Alphys, but from Papyrus. It was a picture of him wearing shades and standing next to a mirror with his reflection on it. Pasted over his arms were muscular biceps with shades on them.

[ARE WE POSTING HOT "PICS"? HERE IS ME AND MY COOL FRIEND]

Alphys posted a reply.

[LOL! …that's a joke, right?]

They soon found two conveyor belts with switches lined up next to one of them. On the other end was an electric barrier. The phone rang and Shinji answered it.

"Hello?"

"It's Dr. Alphys again." Alphys said. "This puzzle is kinda…um…timing based. Y-you see those switches over there? Y-you have to press all three of them within three seconds. I'll t-try to help you with the rhythm."

"Okay."

While still holding the phone to his ear, Shinji approached one of the conveyor belts. He stepped on it and found that it was carrying him forward at a fast speed. He pressed the first button, then the second.

"Now!"

Before he could press the third button, the electric barrier suddenly went out. He stepped off the belt and stared at where the barrier used to be.

"Uh…looks like you…only needed to press…two of them! Ha ha…heh…"

She hung up.

 _Why was there even a third button?_

"That was easy," Kaworu said as he approached Shinji, "but I see more steam platforms ahead, and I don't think it will be easy getting across them this time."

Shinji looked ahead and saw multiple steam platforms with arrows pointing in different directions. Kaworu went to the first platform and crossed over. However, the spot where he landed on sank slightly and the arrows changed directions.

"Kaworu?" Shinji called out. "Can't you just fly over the puzzle?"

"I could," he said, "but that would ruin the point of its existence."

"I…I guess so."

Shinji stepped onto the platform and the steam sent him over to where Kaworu was. Since he was still standing in the center switch, the arrows didn't change again. He looked over the other platforms and said, "I think I got it. Follow me."

They went from platform to platform in a pattern until they reached the other side. They were about to continue when the phone buzzed again. There were no pictures this time, but there were multiple posts from Alphys.

[OMG? ppl think Mew Mew 2 is better than Mew Mew 1?]

[LOLLLLLL that's a joke right…]

[omg…DON'T THEY GET THAT IT RUINS Mew Mew's ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC?!]

[My Mew Mew 2 review: Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 Is Neither Kissy Nor Cutie. It's Trash. 0 Stars.]

"Do you know what she's talking about?" Kaworu asked Shinji.

"No." He shook his head.

They were about to continue on when a voice called out, "Hey! Stop!"

Riding on steam jets towards them were the two guards in armor they saw when they had first arrived at Hotland. Once they've landed, the one that had spoken continued, "We've, like, received an anonymous tip that you two are humans. It's, like, a bummer, because we have to kill you now."

They both drew out swords.

"Like, team attack!" "…team attack…"

They swung their swords and fired white diamonds at them, which they dodged with ease.

"What should we do, Shinji?" Kaworu asked him.

"They're trying to kill us," he said, "so let's run!"

They both ran away. The guards gave chase, but one of them soon slowed down.

"…armor's too hot…" He muttered.

He stopped and removed his chest plate, revealing a scaly, yet well-toned chest. The other guard glanced at his partner and stumbled. Noticing that they weren't being chased any longer, the boys stopped and turned around.

"…you okay?" The second guard asked the fallen first.

"Y-yeah," he stammered as he got to his feet, "j-just distra—uh, I mean, the humans stopped running! Now's our chance!"

"T-team atta-attack!" "…team attack…"

The second guard fired more white diamonds, but the first one's were way off course.

"Are you alright?" Shinji asked him.

"D-dude!" The first one kept stammering. "Like, nothing's wrong!"

"…you sure?" The second guard asked him.

"I-I-I...ye—no—I mean—!"

"It sounds like there's something you want to say." Kaworu observed.

"I…dude! I can't take it anymore! Not like this!"

The first guard removed his helmet, revealing a blushing rabbit head. He said to his partner, "Like, 02! I like, like you, bro! The way you fight…the way you talk…I love standing with you and doing team attacks with you! 02…I, like, want to stay like this forever!"

Everyone stared at him in silence.

"Uh…" The guard rubbed the back of his head. "I…I mean…psyche! Gotcha, bro! Ha ha…ha…"

"…01." 02 said.

"H-huh?"

02 removed his helmet too, revealing a dragon head. He said, "Do you…want to go get ice cream?"

"Y-yeah! Sure, dude!"

They threw their helmets off to the side and walked off together, both of them completely ignoring the boys they were originally trying to kill.

"Th-that was unexpected." Shinji admitted.

"I think it's nice seeing them both together like that." Kaworu said. He let out a soft sigh.

"Kaworu? Are you alright?"

"Hm? Yes. Shall we continue on, Shinji?"

He extended his hand out to him. Shinji blushed and turned his head away.

"Y-yeah."

 _Does Kaworu…no way…_

They both walked until they saw another building. Opening the door revealed nothing but darkness inside. Kaworu went in first, followed by Shinji. As expected, the door slammed shut behind them.

"I wonder what it's going to be this time." Shinji pondered.

"Another show and a death trap, I think." Kaworu said.

The phone rang.

"Alphys?" Shinji asked once he answered it.

"Another dark room?" She asked. "Don't worry, my hacking skills have got things covered."

The lights switched on and the boys found themselves in another studio. Scattered around the main room were a glass of water, a basketball, a stack of papers held together by a staple, a folder, a short filing cabinet with a big X on it, and the Annoying Dog. Off to the side was a desk, with Mettaton sitting behind it while wearing a red suit.

"…Are you serious?" Alphys asked.

"OHHHHHHH YES!" Mettaton said. "GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENTS ARE OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!" He looked at the boys and said, "BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR SEVENTEEN WATCHERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!"

"What do we do, Alphys?" Shinji asked.

"I-I don't know." She said. "It's a trap but…um…just examine something? M-maybe he'll reveal his trap if you play along."

"THERE ARE MANY STORIES OUT THERE!" Mettaton said. "WHAT LOOKS INTERESTING ENOUGH TO REPORT, CORRESPONDENTS?"

Kaworu approached the glass of water and said, "I doubt there's anything interesting about this."

"YES, IT'S A COMPLETELY NONDESCRIPT GLASS OF WATER, BUT ANYTHING CAN MAKE A GREAT STORY WITH ENOUGH SPIN!"

Shinji looked at the basketball. "This seems ordinary enough, too."

"BUT BASKETBALL'S A BLAST, DARLING! TOO BAD YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH IT; IT'S AN MTT-BRAND FASHION BASKETBALL, FOR WEARING, NOT PLAYING."

"For…wearing?"

"I didn't know you could wear basketballs."

"…You can't, Kaworu."

Kaworu approached the folder and read the title out loud, "'Mettaton the Movie XXVIII'."

"OH NO!" Mettaton despaired. "HOW DID THAT GET THERE?! IT'S A SUPER-JUICY SNEAK PREVIEW OF MY LATEST GUARANTEED-NOT-TO-BOMB FILM! I HEARD THAT, LIKE THE OTHER FILMS, IT CONSISTS MOSTLY OF A SINGLE FOUR-HOUR SHOT OF ROSE PETALS SHOWERING ON MY RECLINING BODY! OOH! BUT THAT'S NOT CONFIRMED! YOU WOULDN'T…SPOIL MY MOVIE WITH A PROMOTIONAL STORY, WOULD YOU?"

"I think you just spoiled it, so no." Kaworu shook his head.

Shinji approached the Annoying Dog and said to it, "I can think of a few things to say about you."

The dog only grinned and wagged his tail.

"WHAT A SENSATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A STORY! I CAN SEE THE HEADLINE NOW: A DOG EXISTS SOMEWHERE! FRANKLY, I'M BLOWN AWAY!"

Kaworu looked down at the stapled paper stack and read its title out loud, too, "'Somewhere that's Green: An AlphysxUndyne Story'."

"What?!" Alphys shouted over the phone. "How did he get that?!"

"OOH LA LA," Mettaton sang, "IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE FOUND DR. ALPHYS'S FANFICTION. I'VE READ THROUGH IT, AND I MUST ADMIT: IT'S ABSOLUTE DYNAMITE! DO YOU WANT TO REPORT THIS SO IT CAN GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES? MAYBE IT'LL GET SENT THROUGH MTT PUBLISHING!"

"No! Don't report that one!"

Respecting her wishes, Kaworu backed away from it. Shinji looked at the last item, the file cabinet, and asked, "What's in here?"

"OH MY! IT'S THE X FILE CABINENT! WHAT MYSTERIES COULD IT HOLD? ARE THOSE MYSTERIES EVEN REAL? WHATEVER THEY MAY BE, THEY ARE SURE TO BLOW YOU AWAY!"

"That's everything in the room." Kaworu told Shinji. "Which one do you pick?"

"Um…I'm actually curious about the file cabinet."

"WHAT'S INSIDE THE X FILE CABINET? OPEN IT AND FIND OUT, BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS!"

Shinji slowly pulled open the only drawer in the cabinet. A familiar golden fox head poked out and stared directly at him. He didn't like the way it looked at him like it was trying to read his mind.

"WELL, WELL, WELL! IT'S THE PUZZLING FOX! ALL THE DOGS OF THE ROYAL GUARD ARE JUST CUCKOO OVER THIS MYSTERIOUS ANIMAL! IT'S GOLD, IT'S PUZZLING, AND—WAIT A MINUTE! LOOK AT ITS TAIL!"

The tip of its tail suddenly ignited.

"ITS TAIL IS A FUSE AND…THE FOX…IS A BOMB!"

"What?!" Shinji and Kaworu backed away from it.

"DON'T PANIC YET, BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM!"

Mettaton activated his jet booster and hovered over to the boys. Fuses suddenly appeared on the basketball and glass of water, the folder and the stack of papers opened to reveal sticks of dynamite with timers on them, and the Annoying Dog's tail was on fire.

"OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERTHING IN THIS ROOM IS A BOMB!" Mettaton exclaimed. "THE BASKETBALL IS A BOMB! THE DOG IS A BOMB! EVEN THIS FANFICTION YOU'RE READING RIGHT NOW—


	14. 3-14

_**Evangelion**_ **: choker defused.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: bomb defused.**

 **This fanfiction: fanfiction defused.**

* * *

Mettaton laughed. "I'M KIDDING. I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO MY TWENTY WATCHERS. HOWEVER, THE REST OF THESE THINGS ARE, INDEED, BOMBS. BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS!" He pointed at the boys. "IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THESE BOMBS IN TWO MINUTES, THAT BIG BOMB OVER THERE WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING 'LIVE' ANY LONGER!"

Part of the floor opened up and a big pink bomb with a digital timer on it rose up. The timer was set to two minutes.

"HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR TWENTY-TWO WATCHERS ARE GOING TO LOVE READING THIS! GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!"

Mettaton hovered away. Shinji started panicking.

"None of us can defuse bombs!" He exclaimed.

"D-don't worry!" Alphys said over the phone. "I installed a bomb-defusing program onto your phone! J-just go to the defuse application, point your phone at the bomb, and press the button! Easy enough! N-now, g-go get them!"

She hung up. As Shinji searched his phone, Kaworu mused, "It's very convenient that there's something on that new phone that can defuse bombs."

Shinji found the application and booted it up. At that time, the big bomb beeped and the timer started counting down. He gulped and started to sweat.

 _Two minutes to defuse all the bombs…I…I got to do this!_

The basketbomb rolled past him. He pointed the phone at it and pressed a button. The bomb stopped rolling and the fuse extinguished itself. He looked around and saw that all the bombs were moving around. The glass of water in particular was moving at incredible speed in random directions.

He looked at the closest bomb, the movie script, and pointed his phone at it. It took two tries, but he also defused it. He repeated the actions with the fanfiction. He looked at the timer: one minute and fifteen seconds left to go.

"Halfway there, Shinji." Kaworu encouraged him.

Shinji nodded and turned his attention to the Annoying Dog, who had stopped running around and was now snoozing on its back. He pointed his phone at it, but it rolled over just as he pushed the button, missing it. He kept trying to defuse it, but it kept rolling out of the way. He took a moment to predict his next movement and tried again. This time, he was able to defuse it. The flame on its tail went out and it stopped moving.

The phone rang and Shinji answered it.

"Great job so far!" Alphys said. "I'm using, uh, EM fields to trap that glass of water. S-so you can defuse it now."

He looked around and saw that the glass of water was now standing still. He had no problem defusing it. He looked back at the timer: thirty seconds left.

"Where's the fox?" Kaworu asked.

Shinji's eyes widened and he stiffened in place. He nervously said, "I-It's on your head. D-don't move."

Sure enough, the fox was sitting on Kaworu's head. It stood perfectly still and stared at Shinji. He pointed the phone at it and pressed the button.

The flame on its tail did not extinguish itself.

He pressed the button several times, but it wouldn't defuse. He panicked again, "Why isn't this working?!"

" **Boom!** "

The flame went out and the fox jumped off. It ran to the filing cabinet and jumped back in, the drawer closing behind it. Mettaton hovered back into the room.

"WHAT A LUCKY TWIST!" He announced. "THAT FOX ONLY THOUGHT IT WAS A BOMB! THAT MEANS YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL THE BOMBS! WELL DONE, SHINJI! NOW THE BIG BOMB WON'T GO OFF IN TWO MINUTES!"

Both boys let out sighs of relief.

"…INSTEAD, IT WILL GO OFF IN TWO SECONDS! GOODBYE, DARLINGS!"

"What?!" Shinji nearly screamed.

The timer reset itself to two seconds, but it did not count down.

"AH," Mettaton said, "THE TIMER'S NOT GOING DOWN."

The intercom crackled.

"T-that's because!" Alphys could be heard. "Uh…while you were talking…I…uh…I-I fixed…I changed…"

"OH NO! YOU'VE DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS!"

"Y-yeah, that's what I did."

"CURSE YOU, HUMANS, AND CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS FOR HELPING THEM! BUT I DO NOT CURSE MY TWENTY-FIVE WATCHERS FOR TUNING IN! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!"

He flew off again. The intercom crackled and Alphys was speaking back from Shinji's phone.

"W-well, we showed him, huh?" She asked.

"We couldn't have done that without that defusing app." Shinji said.

"Yes," Kaworu agreed, "it was fortunate you had the foresight to install that program."

"I-I know, right?" Alphys paused. "H-hey, I-I know I was kind of weird at first, but…but I think I'm getting more…uh, more confident about guiding you guys! I-I'll always make sure that b-big d-d-dumb robot doesn't get you, b-but if it comes down to it, w-we could just turn…nevermind. Talk to you later, a-alright?"

She hung up. The boys exited the studio and continued on their journey. Walking on the path, they could see that the core was closer than before. They found another elevator going up and they stepped inside. Kaworu pushed the button to go to the next floor.

The phone rang again.

"H-hey again." Alphys said. "U-um…are you worried about meeting Asgore?"

"I don't know, really." Shinji admitted. "Papyrus said that he was nice, but Undyne said that he needed another soul, so he probably wants to kill me."

"Asgore really is a nice guy. Um…if you talk to him…maybe…uh, nevermind. Forget what I said."

She hung up.

"Shinji." Kaworu spoke up.

"What is it?" Shinji asked.

The other boy looked at him. "According to Undyne, Asgore only needs one more soul to break the barrier. If he's true to his people, then he will try to take your soul. I won't let that happen."

"We should at least try to talk to him."

"And what if he doesn't want to talk?"

"Kaworu, are you saying we should kill him? But that's not right!"

"Don't you wish to leave the Underground, Shinji?"

"I do, but I don't want anyone to die just so that we can leave!"

Kaworu fell silent. Shinji didn't add anything to what he had said either. The doors opened up and they stepped out.

The room had several large cobwebs, as well as a table. Standing behind the table and selling familiar looking food was a large spider. She looked at the boys and waved them over.

"Welcome to our parlor, dearies!" She called out. "Care to buy some of our spider pastries? All proceeds go to real spiders!"

"Spider pastries?" Shinji asked as he approached her. He looked them over and said, "These are just like the ones in the Ruins."

"Oh? You've seen the spider bake sale? Did you buy anything?"

He nodded. "I got a spider donut there."

The spider beamed. "How delightful! I know the spiders there really appreciate what you've done for them! Would you like to buy more here?"

Kaworu frowned when he saw the displayed prices. "9999G is too much."

The spider folded her arms and said, "Don't be stingy. The spiders really need the money."

"For what?"

"Don't you know? The spider clans have long been divided, and they want to be together again. The spiders in the Ruins can't even cross the cold of Snowdin. With this money, we can buy them a heated limo and spend the rest of it on a nice vacation…or a spider baseball field, whichever they want most."

"That's considerate." Shinji said.

"Thank you~! I'm Muffet, by the way. Stop on by anytime you want a spider donut or some spider cider!"

"We will."

 _If we ever get that much money…_

They continued on until they saw another maze of platforms with steam vents. There were two rooms on the opposite ends and a large pair of closed doors up ahead. The phone rang again.

"Hi, Alphys here!" The usual caller said. "This room is like the one we saw before. There are two puzzles and you have to…um, solve them to proceed. Uh…also, I don't like giving away puzzle solutions, but if you need help, just call me, okay?"

"We will, Alphys." Shinji said.

"Oh, wait! I have an idea! Let's be friends on UnderNet! That way, if you need help, you can just ping me!"

"But we're already friends on UnderNet."

"…Oh…I signed you up already, didn't I? Then…you've been reading my posts the whole time…" She gave a nervous laugh. "W-well, I hope you agree with me…about 'Mew Mew 2'!"

"But I haven't—."

But she already hung up. They boys decided to head north first. Standing outside of the puzzle room was a monster bound in rope and on fire. Despite these things, it was grinning like nothing was wrong.

"Hey!" He called out to them. "Hot day, isn't it?"

"There's lava below us, so it's no surprise that it's hot here." Kaworu said.

"I know, right?! I love it when it's hot!"

"Um," Shinji said, "do you need any help getting out of that rope?"

"Nah, I'm good. You know what would be great though? Taking a swim in the lava! Want to join me?"

"N-no thanks."

"Your loss!"

The monster hopped over to the edge and jumped off. Shinji ran over and looked down at the lava. The fire monster was floating on its back in the lava and was drifting away. Despite the contact with the lava, the rope didn't burn off.

"Come on in!" He called out. "The lava's fine!"

Shinji shook his head and backed away.

"To think a monster could go in lava as easily as it was water…these beings never cease to amaze me." Kaworu mused.

"Yeah." Shinji agreed.

They went in the puzzle room. Upon booting it up, Shinji noticed one key difference right away: he only had one shot instead of two. He started working on it, but found that he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Do you think you need to call Alphys for help?" Kaworu asked him.

Shinji furrowed his brows in concentration. "Not yet. I think…yes!"

He had finally formed a clear path and fired his single shot at his target. Once they saw "Congratulations" appear on the screen, they left the room.

They crossed the steam vent maze once more and found themselves at the other side, where the second puzzle room was. Standing off to the side were two monsters with diamonds for heads. They looked like they were busy talking, so they left them alone. However, that didn't stop Shinji from listening in to a few passing snippets.

"...My favorite Mettaton Moment™? When he poses dramatically when things go wrong! And…!"

"…Mine is when he heel turns at the villains, oh and…"

 _I guess there really are people that like Mettaton that much…_

The second puzzle was the same as the first: difficult and with only one shot to use. Nevertheless, Shinji was able to solve it. Soon enough, he and Kaworu were making their way to the big doors, which were now open.

The phone rang.

"U-um…" Alphys said nervously. "It…it doesn't have anything to do with guiding you, b-but…"

"But what?" Shinji asked.

"D-do you…are you…interested in 'Mew Mew Kissy Kissy'?"

"Isn't it a game?"

"Y-yes! It started out as a visual novel, but there's also an anime of it!" She started to talk fast. "It's my favorite show! It's all about this human girl named Mew Mew who has cat ears, s-so she's all sensitive about them! But like…eventually, she realizes that her ears don't matter; her friends like her despite the ears! It's really moving and…oh! This sounds weird, but she also has the power to control the minds of anyone she kisses! She kisses people and controls them to fix her problems! They don't remember anything after the kiss, I mean, but if she misses the kiss, then…! Uh…well…I…almost spoiled the whole show for you, huh?"

"That…sounds like an interesting anime, Alphys."

"I know! We should really watch it together once we get through all this! U-uh, anyways! Talk to you soon!"

She hung up again. They went on ahead and found themselves in a corridor covered in cobwebs. Many little spiders scurried across the webbing near the ceiling. Shinji had a bad feeling about this room. Kaworu must have sensed his uneasiness, because he reassured him, "We can get through this, Shinji."

He nodded and they cautiously walked forward. They stopped when they heard eerie, feminine laughter. They looked around, but they couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Did you hear what they just said?" It asked. "They said that two humans will come through. I heard that they hate spiders. I heard that they love to stomp on them. I heard that they like to tear their legs off.

"But…that's not entirely true. The meek one donated to our cause, after all. That other one, however, is too stingy with his money!"

There was a splash from above. Shinji turned around and saw that Kaworu was drenched in light purple liquid that strongly smelled of tea. He looked up and saw Muffet dangling from a web, a tea kettle in one hand and an empty teacup in another.

"You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearie?" She asked Kaworu. She chuckled and went on, "I disagree. I think your taste is exactly what the next batch needs!"

Kaworu blinked, then looked at Shinji and asked, "This is the part where we run, correct?"

"Of course!"

They both ran down the cobweb covered corridor. Just as they were about to reach the other end, however, Kaworu suddenly tripped at the edge of the webbing. Shinji turned around and noticed something just as his friend was getting back up: his soul was now purple.

From above, Muffet laughed and said, "You can't leave our parlor as long as you're purple, dearie. Now, I believe it's breakfast time."

"Please, let him go!" Shinji pleaded.

"Ahuhuhu, you're free to go, but this one deserves what's coming to him." She turned her head to the other end of the corridor and called out, "Breakfast!"

Something large dropped down from the opposite end. It looked like a monstrous muffin with spider legs. It chomped its jaws and starting crawling towards Kaworu. Instead of trying to run again, however, he stood his ground.

"I'm sorry, Shinji," he said without turning around, "but there's no other way out."

"No!" Shinji looked at Muffet again and said, "Let him go! We just didn't have enough money to buy anything!"

"Tsk tsk, I don't believe that." Muffet narrowed her eyes. "Besides, I don't forgive anyone who hurts spiders for fun."

"But he's never harmed any spiders!"

"Really? I find that—huh?"

A small spider crawled up to her with a letter in its tiny hand. Muffet took it and looked it over. She put a hand to her mouth and said, "Oh my, it looks like there was a misunderstanding after all. The spiders were watching all along, and they said they've never seen you harm any spiders!"

"I have no reason to harm them." Kaworu said. He stared at the incoming muffin-spider and asked, "Can you call it off now?"

"Oh, yes." She called out to the monster, "Sorry, this one isn't your breakfast after all."

It grumbled, but it moved away. Muffet waved her tea kettle and Kaworu's soul returned to its normal, brilliant color. Shinji said to her, "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem, dearie. Come back and see us anytime~!"

Kaworu stepped off the webbing and asked, "Where did you hear that we were harming spiders?"

"It was from someone who wanted your souls. We were supposed to take them and give them to him in exchange for money to help the spiders. We need the money, yes, but I can't hurt anyone who's never been mean to spiders."

"Someone who wants our souls?" Shinji asked. "Who was it?"

"It was someone who's supposedly famous on TV. We don't know, since we don't watch TV, but he was a strange, but handsome thing."

"Mettaton." Kaworu said.

"Yes, that was the name! Anyhow, I shall return to the spider bake sale. Don't be a stranger, dearies!"

They nodded and hurriedly left the corridor. Once they were out, a thought crossed Shinji's mind and he asked Kaworu, "Why didn't your AT Field protect you that time?"

"It was carelessness." He admitted. "To protect myself, I have to actively generate my AT Field. If I want to do things that require contact, then I have to lower it. I should have had my AT Field up earlier, but I wasn't expecting a surprise attack. I won't make a mistake like that again."

They froze in place when they saw where they had wandered into next: another stage. There was a backdrop of a night sky with stars and a crude construction of a castle tower and stairs. Instead of a TV filming studio, they felt like they had entered onto the stage of a play. A spotlight suddenly lit up and shone on them.

"Not again." Shinji said.

"I wonder how he's going to try to kill us this time." Kaworu wondered.

The intercom crackled and a voice spoke.

" **And now, MTT Productions presents 'You Can (Not) LOVE: the Musical'.** "

A second spotlight shone on the open window of the castle tower. From it, Mettaton partially poked his monitor out.

"OH?" He said. "THOSE HUMANS…COULD THEY BE…? YES, YES THEY ARE: MY ONE TRUE LOVE AND HIS KNIGHT!"

He moved away from the window and rolled down the stairs. Shinji didn't know what to think when he saw him wearing a blue dress…and his mind went blank when he started to sing.

" _Oh my love,_

 _Please run away._

 _Monster king_

 _Forbids your stay._

 _Humans must_

 _Live far apart,_

 _Even if_

 _It breaks my heart._

 _They'll put you_

 _In the dungeon._

 _It'll suck,_

 _And then you'll die a lot._

 _Really sad,_

 _You're gonna die._

 _Cry cry cry._

 _So sad it's happening."_

From above, flower petals drifted down like confetti. No one said anything for several seconds.

"SO SAD." Mettaton pretended to wipe tears from his monitor. "SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON. WELL, TOODLES!"

The floor under Shinji gave way and he found himself falling.


	15. 3-15

_**Evangelion:**_ **has Ho-Yay.**

 _ **Undertale:**_ **has confirmed pairings.**

 **This fanfiction: has both.**

* * *

Shinji landed on his feet and fell forward on his hands. When he got up, he saw that he was in a single corridor lined up with colored tiles. He quickly noticed that Kaworu was not with him. He looked up from where he fell from and saw that there wasn't a hole from where he fell. He quickly concluded that it was a trapdoor that brought him here.

While he didn't see the trapdoor, he did see Mettaton hover down to his level.

"OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO?" He said dramatically. "MY LOVE HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM HIS KNIGHT AND IS NOW IN THE DUNGEON; A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH!"

Shinji looked at the tiled floor and he now remembered seeing it before.

 _That's—!_

"OH HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! IT'S THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE AND YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. THE RED TILE…" He paused. "ACTUALLY, DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO?"

"Back in Snowdin…" Shinji muttered to himself.

"YES, THAT'S RIGHT. SO YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU?"

"I—."

"YOU DO? THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH TO THE END IN THIRTY SECONDS, YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE!"

Jets of fire shot up from behind Shinji, forming an impassable wall. As he backed away from them, Mettaton started laughing.

"OH MY POOR LOVE! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF THAT I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!"

Shinji started running. As he moved, he quickly tried to recall each tile's function.

 _Pink is safe, can't pass red, green…_

He stepped on a green tile and a noise like an alarm sounded, but nothing happened.

 _It was supposed to summon a monster. I guess it's broken?_

Meanwhile, Mettaton continued to sing.

" _Oh my love_

 _Has fallen down._

 _Now in tears_

 _We all will drown."_

 _Orange smells like oranges, yellow smells like—._

Shinji cried out in pain as he was zapped by the yellow tile he just stepped on.

 _Yellow shocks, purple's slippery and…smells like lemons. How much time do I have left?!_

" _Colored tiles_

 _Make them a fool._

 _If only they_

 _Still knew the rules."_

 _Can't step on blue when…was it oranges or lemons? Oranges! It was oranges! I have to hurry!_

" _Well that was_

 _A sorry try._

 _Now let's watch_

 _Them fry."_

 _Almost there! I just—!_

"OOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!"

All the colored tiles grayed out and a second wall of fire appeared in front of Shinji. His eyes widened and despair overtook him.

"No…" He croaked.

"HERE COME THE FLAMES!"

The walls of fire slowly started closing in on him

"No!"

"THEY'RE CLOSING IN! GETTING CLOSER!"

They were now close enough that Shinji could feel their heat. In his panic, he didn't notice that they had stopped moving, and that Mettaton gave an awkward cough.

"Shinji!"

Running down the other end of the room was Kaworu.

"Kaworu!" Shinji cried out to him.

The boy ran directly at the wall of fire separating him from the other pilot. When he was close enough, the jets that spewed the fire short circuited and blew up in mini-explosions. With the way now clear, Shinji ran up to Kaworu's side.

"OH MY," Mettaton said, "IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR SHINING KNIGHT CAME JUST IN TIME TO SAVE YOU!"

Before he could go on, the phone rang. Out of habit, Shinji answered it.

"D-don't worry!" Alphys said. "I—huh? The firewall's destroyed?! B-but how? Was it Kaworu's AT Field?"

"I think so." Shinji answered.

"It was." Kaworu confirmed.

"DON'T THINK THIS IS OVER YET, DARLINGS!" Mettaton said. "REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STEP ON A GREEN TILE?"

"Nothing happened when I stepped on it." Shinji said.

"WRONG! STEPPING ON A GREEN TILE MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. AND THAT MONSTER…IS ME!"

"You?!"

"D-don't panic!" Alphys reassured. "Th-there's one last thing I've installed in your phone. Just press the yellow button!"

Shinji looked at the phone and noticed the yellow button right away. He pressed it. His soul turned upside down and its color changed to yellow.

"Now press the button again!"

He did so and his soul fired a single energy blip that hit Mettaton directly. It bounced harmlessly off of him, yet he seemed to be in pain.

"OOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW COULD THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC." He sounded very bored for some reason. "WHATEVER."

He waved goodbye and flew off. Shinji's soul righted itself and turned back to its normal red color.

"What was that?" He asked Alphys.

"It's a program that resonates with your soul so that it has offensive capabilities." She explained. "H-however, the program's only designed to activate when Mettaton is nearby. It…it won't work on any other monsters. A-anyways! You did a good job beating him!"

"Thank you. That program was really helpful." He looked at Kaworu and said to him, "Thank you for saving me, Kaworu. Any later and I…"

"N-no worries! I was about to hack into the firewalls anyway, so…um…I would never let anything bad happen to you. Uh…Shinji? Kaworu? Can I tell you two something?"

"Go ahead." Kaworu said.

"B-before I met you two, I…well, I didn't really like myself very much. For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up, like…I couldn't do a-anything w-without…without letting everyone down. B-but guiding you has made me feel a lot better about myself! So…thank you…for letting me guide you."

"Alphys…" Shinji murmured.

He wanted to tell her that she wasn't a screw-up; he was. He was one for running away in the first place, for letting everyone down.

"Uh a-anyways!" Alphys tried to cheer up. "Up ahead is MTT Resort, and the Core's past that. You're almost there! Let's finish this!"

She hung up.

Kaworu looked at Shinji and asked, "Are you alright, Shinji?"

"Y-yeah." He nodded.

"Mettaton is getting smarter about this. He knows he can't harm me as long as I have my AT Field up, so you're his main target now."

"I know."

"Shinji, I really believe that I need to destroy it. You nearly lost your life, and I don't want you to be in that position again."

Shinji lowered his head.

 _That's true, but…_

As if reading his thoughts, he went on, "It's a robot built specifically to destroy humans, so there's no reason not to destroy it. Besides, it's not technically a monster, so it wouldn't really count as killing something."

"…I guess you're right."

They found a set of stairs going up. Upstairs, they saw a crowd of monsters gathered around the Nice Cream Guy and his cart. Among those monsters were the two guards from earlier. Everyone looked happy.

The Nice Cream Guy noticed the boys and waved them over.

"Hello, my favorite customer!" He beamed at Shinji. "Business is doing great here!"

"That's good." Shinji said.

"I've just about sold my entire stock, but I have two Nice Creams left for you and your friend, if you want them. They're both vanilla, if that's fine with you."

Shinji looked at Kaworu and asked, "Do you want one?"

"I don't mind trying one."

Shinji handed over some gold and received the last two Nice Creams. He handed one to Kaworu and they started eating them on the way. Shinji looked at his wrapper and saw that there was a different message inside: "Is this as sweet as you?"

Seeing what he was doing, Kaworu looked at his own wrapper. He said, "This is a nice message."

"All Nice Creams have them."

"Shinji, why don't you hang onto this one?"

He handed his wrapper to him. He read the message to himself: "Love yourself! I love you!" He lowered his head to hide his blush.

 _Is he trying to say something? N-no way…_

"U-uh—th-thank you, Kaworu. You can have mine, too."

He handed his own wrapper to him. Kaworu read the message and smiled.

"Thank you, Shinji."

He nodded and they continued on. They stopped when they came to a large building that looked like a fancy hotel. Standing near the entrance was Sans.

"hey." He said. "i heard you're both going to the core."

"We are." Shinji said.

"say, you both want to grab dinner with me first?"

Having only Nice Creams since his meal at Snowdin, Shinji was hungry. He nodded and they followed Sans inside. At the center of the lobby was a fountain with a statue of Mettaton spraying water outside of the basin. They went left and found themselves in a restaurant with a performing stage. They sat at a table and waited for someone to take their orders.

"Who's going to pay?" Kaworu asked.

"i'll put it on my tab." Sans said.

A waiter stopped by and they placed their orders.

"so," Sans spoke up, "your journey's almost over, huh?"

"Yeah." Shinji said.

"you must really want to go home. i know the feeling, kiddo, though…"

"Though what?"

"well, sometimes it's better to take what's given to you. down here, you got food, drink, and friends."

"Are you saying I should stay here?"

"whatever makes you happy, shinji, but that's just me."

"I wish I could stay here, but everyone back up needs me."

"Shinji," Kaworu said, "you say that everyone needs you. Is it only because you pilot the Evangelion?"

"Well…yeah. That's all I'm good at, you know?"

"That's not true."

"i gotta agree with him. you're pretty good at making friends here."

"But I don't do anything special. I just talk and listen—."

"It's not just that." Kaworu interrupted. "I've seen how you talk to other monsters, and you care about them. If you didn't care, then you would have avoided them altogether."

At that time, their food had arrived. They all had ordered the same thing: steak and vegetables. They started eating.

 _I hope Sans can really pay for all this…_

"hey," Sans spoke up, "mind if i tell you guys a story?"

"I don't mind." Kaworu said.

"Sure." Shinji said.

"so, i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right? i sit there and watch for humans. pretty boring, really. so to pass the time, i go to this huge locked door at the end and use it to practice knock knock jokes. one day, i was practicing as usual. i was knocking on the door and sayin' 'knock knock', and i heard a woman's voice answer 'who is there?' i responded 'dishes'. 'dishes who?' 'dishes a very bad joke'. then she just howls with laughter like it was the best joke she's heard in a hundred years.

"so i keep them coming and she keeps laughing. she's the best audience i've ever had. after a dozen of em' she knocks and says 'knock knock'. 'who's there?' 'old lady' 'old lady who?' 'oh! i did not know you could yodel!' needless to say, this woman was extremely good. eventually, i had to leave; papyrus gets cranky when he doesn't get his bedtime story, you know. but we kept seeing each other and telling more bad jokes."

"That woman," Shinji said, "was it Toriel?"

"is that her name? sounds like you've met her. how's she doing?"

"She was sad that I had to go, but she's doing fine."

"that's good to hear. anyway, i guess what i'm saying is that even though talking and listening to others may not seem much, it actually does."

"I understand, Sans."

"actually, there's more to the story. one day, she was not laughing as much. i asked her what's up and she told me something strange: 'if a human ever comes through this door, could you please promise me something? watch over them and protect them, will you not?' now i don't like making promises, and this woman, i didn't even know her name at the time, but…someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity you can't say 'no' to. you get what i'm saying?"

"You're looking out for me because of a promise you made to Toriel?"

"yeah, but listen, do you know what would have happened if she didn't say anything? shinji, you and your friend…" His eye sockets darkened and his voice became cold. "You would both be dead where you stand."

Both boys stopped eating and stared at Sans. Shinji asked shakily, "You would have killed us?"

"Sans," Kaworu said slowly, "I am actually glad that you made that promise. If you didn't and actually killed Shinji, I would have killed you, too."

"K-Kaworu?"

"well, i'm glad too." Sans' expression lightened backup. "i was just joking, anyways. i would never hurt one of my pals."

Shinji let out a soft sigh of relief, though he didn't completely calm down.

 _His voice and that look on his face…it sounded like he really meant it._

"welp, i'm done." Sans pushed his half eaten plate aside and stood up. "you two should rest up here before making the final leg of your journey. you both look after yourselves. you've got people that care about you, after all. see ya."

With that said, he went up front to pay for the meal. Shinji looked at his food and found that he had lost his appetite. Kaworu, on the other hand, had just finished his meal.

"I guess we should see how much a room costs." Shinji suggested.

"I agree." Kaworu nodded.

They both went back to the hotel lobby and approached the receptionist, which was a monster with a large hand for a head.

"How much for a room?" Shinji asked.

"It's 200G a night."

He fished out all the gold he had and offered it to the monster. It only took him a few seconds to count the gold and hand back the change. Shinji looked at what was leftover and saw that he didn't have much left. With the room paid for, he was also given a key.

"You'll be staying at Room 104." The receptionist pointed towards a hallway with several doors.

"Thank you." Shinji said.

He and Kaworu walked down the hallway and found their room without any issues. Once they were in, they took a look around. They first thing that caught their attention was the gigantic bed that took up most of the room. There were also lamps shaped like Mettaton and a sketch painting of Mettaton hanging above the bed.

"That's the biggest bed I've ever seen." Kaworu stated the obvious.

"At least it's big enough that we can have our own spaces." Shinji said.

"So you don't want to sleep together?"

"Wha?! No! We're both boys! Why would you even suggest something like that?!"

"Because I like being close to you. I don't see anything wrong with that."

 _You may not, but…_

Shinji was flustered now. He walked to the left side of the bed and took his shoes off. Without looking at Kaworu, he said, "J-just stay on your side of the bed, alright?"

Kaworu said nothing, but he went to the other side and turned on the lamp before moving to switch the main light off. He went back to his side and started removing his plugsuit. Shinji turned his head away, knowing that there was nothing underneath that outfit. He climbed on top of the covers and kept his back to his friend.

"Is it because you're afraid of having people close to you?" He heard Kaworu ask.

"W-well," Shinji tried to think of how he was going to say what was on his mind, "it's that…but it's also not."

"Can you explain it to me?"

"U-um…it's that way because…because everyone hurts me. If I get too close to anyone, I get hurt."

"So you're afraid of being hurt by others?"

"Y-yeah. I just…"

"You don't want to feel pain. You want to feel like you are wanted and loved, right?"

Shinji blinked. "That's right."

"Then, can you tell me how it is not that way?"

"We…we're just friends. It's fine if we share a bed, but we can't be next to each other."

"Why not?"

Shinji's hand gripped the sheets. "Isn't it obvious? It…it implies that we're…more than that…"

"You sound hesitant, Shinji. Is it really that difficult for you to talk about?"

"It's embarrassing! C-can we just drop this, please?"

"…Alright. Get a good night's rest."

The other lamp turned off, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Shinji?"

"Hm?"

"I really think I was born just to meet you."

Shinji didn't know how to interpret that line, so he said nothing. He also didn't know it, but Kaworu was smiling.


	16. 3-16

_**Evangelion:**_ **waiting for the fourth movie.**

 _ **Undertale:**_ **waiting for** _ **UnderSwap**_ **.**

 **This fanfiction: waiting for the next chapter.**

* * *

 _Kaworu's body crushed in his grip…_

 _Gunfire…bodies…blood…_

 _Misato's bloodstained cross necklace in his hand…_

 _EVA 02's visceral pieces being carried away…_

 _Face to face with a pale giant…Rei…_

 _Everyone's words and thoughts blending together…_

 _No pain…no happiness…all was one…_

 _Alone…he was all alone…no one was coming back…_

 _Falling…falling…falling into darkness…_

"Shinji! Shinji!"

The next thing he knew, someone was shaking him by his shoulders. He blinked when he saw that it was Kaworu. He stared at his red eyes and he remembered his nightmares. They were all horrible, yet familiar at the same time. Despair filled him and tears welled up from his eyes. He sniffled and started to cry.

Kaworu pulled him into an embrace, and Shinji welcomed it. As he cried, Kaworu murmured soft reassurances to him. After several minutes, he calmed down and pulled away from his friend.

"What did you dream about?" Kaworu asked him.

Shinji sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Many horrible things, Kaworu. I…I don't understand most of it, but…I killed you." He clenched and unclenched his hand. "W-with this hand, I…" He shook his head. "I don't want to think about it."

Kaworu frowned. "You were screaming in your sleep, so I decided to wake you up."

Shinji now realized that his throat was sore. Rubbing it, he asked, "What time is it?"

"It's hard to tell when we're underground, but it feels like…mid-morning. We must have been asleep for quite some time."

"I guess so."

"I think we should get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry, and we don't have that much gold left."

"You need your strength, Shinji. Besides, I'm sure we'll find something that doesn't cost much."

Kaworu moved off the bed and started putting the plugsuit back on. Shinji put his shoes back on and they left the room together. They didn't have to look around for long when they saw a fast food place inside the hotel. The sign outside read: "MTT-Brand Burger Emporium". They went inside.

There was only one monster inside, and it was the cashier. The name tag on his shirt read "Burgerpants". He put on an over exaggerated smile and greeted, "Hey, welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Glamburger. What can I get you, o valued customers?"

 _He doesn't sound happy._

Shinji looked over the food items and their prices. He pulled out the last of his gold and, after counting them, found that he could only afford the cheapest item on the menu: the starfait. He handed the gold over and said, "One starfait, please."

"Okie-doke!" Burgerpants continued to smile. "Comin' right up!"

He turned to a small fridge and opened it up. He pulled out a parfait covered in many colorful stars and placed it on the counter.

"Here you are! Have a FABU-FUL day!"

"Thank you." Shinji said as he took it.

"May I ask you something?" Kaworu asked Burgerpants.

"Huh?" He blinked in surprise. "I'm not really supposed to talk to customers, but ask away."

"Why do wear a fake smile?"

The smile vanished. "My smile's…fake?"

"There's no happiness behind it, so why do you smile?"

"Kaworu," Shinji said, "even if you're not happy, you smile just to make everyone else feel better."

"I…yes!" Burgerpants grinned again. "Every customer must be greeted and served with a smile, but…" He frowned. "I guess I need to work on that, huh?"

"N-no, you're fine."

"You're nice, buddy, but you need to be more honest like your friend here."

Kaworu folded his arms. "So you smile like that because you aren't really happy? Am I understanding that correctly? If so, then why are you unhappy?"

Burgerpants leaned forward and said in a low voice, "You're both still young, so let me give you some advice: don't end up in my situation. Don't work at a burger place with an idiot boss. You guys still have a future; don't let it end up like mine did. If you have a dream, then work hard and do everything you can to get it."

"…I see." Shinji said.

 _Except I don't have a dream…_

Burgerpants went back to his cheerful act and said, "Take care, little buddies!"

Shinji took the starfait while Kaworu grabbed two plastic spoons. They went to a small table and sat opposite of one another, the starfait the only thing between them. Kaworu took the first bite.

"This is very sweet." He noted. He passed the other spoon to Shinji and told him, "Go ahead and try."

Shinji nodded and did just that. His eyes widened and his teeth hurt at the overwhelming sweetness. That one bite alone was enough to make him feel jittery from the sugar.

"It's _too_ sweet." He said. "I don't think I can eat all of this."

"Then, may I have the rest?" Kaworu asked.

"Can you really eat all that without getting sick?"

"I can."

He slid the starfait towards him and it did not take him long for him to eat it all. Shinji stared at him, expecting him to experience some form of nausea, but Kaworu looked fine. He stood up and asked, "Shall we get going?"

Shinji nodded and they left together. They saw a pair of doors at the back of the hotel with a sign next to it. The sign read: "To the Core". Through the windows, they could see that the Core was only a short walk away.

"There it is." Shinji said.

A shadow passed by the entrance and both boys tensed up.

"There's someone in there." Kaworu said.

The phone rang and Shinji answered it.

"D-did you see that?" Alphys asked. "N-nobody's s-supposed to be in there, b-but you're almost there! Once you go in, just use the elevator and you'll reach the top in no time!"

"Got it." Shinji said.

They entered the Core. The walls, floor, and even ceiling were light blue with lines that looked like they belonged in microchips. The air also had a hint of ozone in it. Shinji felt like he had stepped into a giant computer. In front of them was the elevator. He pushed a button, but nothing happened.

"The elevator's broken." Shinji said to Alphys.

"What? It's not working? Uh…why don't you try the stairs to your right?"

He looked to his right and saw a closed door. Kaworu was the first to walk up to it and he opened the door. He was about to go through when he stopped midstep.

"What is it, Kaworu?" Shinji asked.

"Come see for yourself." He said.

Shinji peeked over his shoulder and saw that there was a large pit filled with fire on the other side.

"A trap?"

"This…isn't on my map." Alphys said uneasily. "W-well, if it's not on the right, then it's on the left…right?"

They turned around and went to the door on the left side. Inside was a stairwell, which they started climbing. However, for some reason, the stairs ended after they went up only one floor. A sign taped onto the wall read: "More stairs coming soon!"

"Why do the stairs stop here?" Shinji asked.

"Funny story, actually." Alphys said. "Y-you see, when—."

"Abra kadabra!" A voice suddenly shouted.

A small monster wearing wizards clothing dropped from the ceiling and fired many white crosses at them. Shinji had to duck while Kaworu let his AT Field negate all the attacks. They ran through the landing door and slammed it shut. From the other side, the monster knocked and muttered various magic words.

"Hocus pocus. Open sesame. Please."

"An ambush." Kaworu said grimly. "There's probably more of them further in."

"But why did it attack us?" Shinji asked.

"I-I don't get it either." Alphys said. "There shouldn't be any…oh! Look up ahead!"

In front of them was a corridor blocked by a wall of electricity. Next to it was a switch.

"You can deactivate it by pressing the switch, but the lasers will activate in its place. They should be in this order: orange, orange, blue. G-got it?"

"Got it."

Shinji pressed the switch. The electric wall vanished and lasers appeared and started moving…in the exact opposite order.

"Oh…I…got it backwards." Alphys laughed nervously. "U-um…sorry."

"It's fine, Alphys." Shinji reassured her. "We can still get through this."

He looked at Kaworu and asked, "Ready?"

"Ready."

They walked through the orange lasers and stopped when the blue ones passed through them. They kept up this pattern of walking and stopping until they reached the end. They now found themselves at a crossroads.

"Uh…" Alphys paused. "I think you should go—."

From the left, a large monster in armor wielding a Morningstar approached them.

"Farewell, humans." He said.

The moment it raised its weapon, the boys ran straight ahead. Multiple white Morningstars rose out of the ground and chased after them. Up ahead, they saw a bridge with many motionless rows of blue lasers activated.

"N-not good!" Alphys said. "B-but don't worry! I'll—I'll just shut off the power for the whole node!"

The lasers and the main lights shut off. The lights from the walls provided the only illumination in the room, but it was enough for the boys to see where they were going. They started running across the bridge, the monster still in pursuit.

The lights flickered.

"W-wait!" Alphys suddenly shouted. "Stop!"

"Why?" Shinji asked.

The lights flickered again and Kaworu grabbed Shinij's wrist, pulling him to a stop. With a third flicker, the lights and lasers were reactivated. Behind them, the monster wasn't able to stop in time and the lasers zapped him. He stood still and could do nothing but glare.

"Why did the power turn back on?" Kaworu asked.

"I…I don't know." Alphys admitted. "D-damn it…this isn't supposed to…I…I'll turn off the power again. If you can outrun that monster, then I can leave the power on and…well…trap him. Y-you ready?"

"Yes."

"O-okay."

The power shut off again and both boys ran as fast as they could. The monster also continued to chase them. The pattern repeated until they were at the end of the bridge. The lasers flickered back on just as the monster was about to cross over as well, leaving him trapped.

"S-see?" Alphys asked. "I got everything under control. N-now, up ahead, there's…huh?"

Ahead of them was a four way intersection with two signs. The first read: "North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End". The other one read: "East…The End".

"What is it, Alphys?" Shinji asked.

"This…this doesn't look like my map at all." There was a long pause.

"Alphys?"

"S-sorry…I…I have to go. I'll call back soon…"

She hung up.

"This doesn't make sense." Kaworu said.

Shinji looked at him with slight surprise and asked, "What doesn't?"

"I am under the impression that Alphys is expecting everything to happen in a certain way. She seems too confident that certain things should happen at given times."

"I don't know what you're trying to say, Kaworu."

"It's been the most obvious ever since we've entered the Core: the elevator not working, the monsters, the power rebooting itself, even her directions to get us this far. I don't believe that so many unexpected things should be happening without reason."

"Wait, so you think someone's doing all this? Could it be Mettaton?"

"That's one of the things I was thinking. The other…I have suspicions, but I need to think about it more. Let's keep going for now."

Shinji looked at the signs again.

 _So we can't go to The End until we go through one of the other paths. The warrior's path sounds like there will be more monsters. The sage's path…I think it has something to do with intellect. I don't want to run into any more monsters, so…_

"This way."

They took the left path. At the very end, they found themselves in a room with a puzzle in it. Shinji stepped up to it and began to solve it. It took a few minutes, but he was able to do it. He was rewarded with the usual "congratulations".

"This should open the way to The End, right?" Shinji asked.

"It should." Kaworu said.

"There you are." A small voice said.

They turned around and saw a bug monster wearing armor. He pointed his little spear at them and said, "I am not afraid of you, humans. Prepare yourselves."

Knowing that they were cornered, Shinji pleaded, "Don't hurt us. We don't want to fight; we just want to leave. Please."

"You don't want to fight?" The monster lowered its spear. "I…cannot bring myself to fight anyone who won't fight back. He said he would pay 20,000 gold for your souls, but…fighting the weak is wrong."

"'He'?" Kaworu asked. "Are you talking about Mettaton?"

"Yes. Fighting you is not worth it if it's going to weigh heavy on my conscience." He looked at Shinji. "You…you especially remind me of my younger brother."

"Younger brother?" Shinji asked.

He thought back to any bug monsters he might have seen, and he remembered one.

"Does he live in the Ruins?"

"Yes, actually. Why do you ask?"

"I think I might have met him there."

"Really? How was Whimsun?"

"I don't know, he fled before I could even say anything."

"That sounds like him. You aren't so bad, after all." The monster fluttered out of the way and said, "You may go, but proceed with caution."

"Thank you."

The boys left the room and started heading towards The End.

On the way, Kaworu shared his thoughts. "So even monsters that do want to fight are capable of mercy. They really are no different from the Lilim."

"I think they're pretty different." Shinji said.

"I mean that they have the same hearts. Our bodies and souls may be different, but we all have the capability to show kindness and cruelty."

"What about Angels?"

"Angels…I can't say for sure, since no two are ever around at the same time. They don't harbor any ill will to the Lilim, but they want a world where they can exist peacefully."

"Then why can't we try to get along with them?"

"Because we can't communicate like them, and the Lilim have no desire to communicate with anything that is not them."

"But you could, couldn't you?"

"As an accumulation of both Lilim and Angel, I could, but neither side would listen unless they wanted to."

"So…no one can get along?"

"With the way things are right now, no. It's sad, since we get along fine."

 _But that's because you're human, even if you have an Angel's soul…_

They stopped in front of a door and an elevator. The elevator looked like it was powered off, but the door was open.

"We might run into Mettaton again." Kaworu said. "Are you ready, Shinji?"

He nodded. They both entered the room and found themselves standing on a stage. Cameras surrounded the stage and there were spotlights and monitors positioned overhead. The door slammed shut behind them. Part of the floor slid open and Mettaton rose out of it.

"AH, THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS." Mettaton greeted. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN, TIME TO STOP THE "MALFUNCTIONING" ROBOT…NOT!"

"Not?" Shinji asked.

"OF COURSE NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING! GET REAL! THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW, AN ACT! ALPHYS WAS PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME!"

"W-what?"

"AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT, SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES, DISABLED ELEVATORS, AND ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU, ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST, ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK THAT SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON…THAT SHE'S NOT."

"She…she set this all up? N-no! You're lying!"

"I don't think he is." Kaworu spoke up.

"Kaworu?"

"This was my other suspicion. Everything seemed to be set up from the start. If you think about the convenient applications she installed on your phone, her hacking abilities, and the way she reacted when things didn't go right, then it makes sense."

"So she…"

Shinji felt his heart break.

 _She manipulated us? I…trusted her…_

"AT THIS VERY MOMENT," Mettaton went on, "ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE', SHE WILL INTERRUPT AND PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY, SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE…OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE."

"So you interfered with Alphys's plan by restarting the power and sending monsters after us." Kaworu said.

"CORRECT, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE! I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS, FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"

There was knocking from the other side of the door.

"H-hey!" Alphys shouted from the other side. "Wh-what's going on? Why did this door lock itself?!"

"SORRY FOLKS, BUT THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED, BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!"

The stage rose up several feet and the cameras turned themselves on.

"REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! IT'S NOW TIME FOR OUR NEW SHOW: 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!'"

Many little white blocks started falling from the ceiling. Shinji moved out of the way while Kaworu let his AT Field protect him from the attacks. Shinji pulled out his phone and pressed the yellow button, turning his soul yellow once more. He fired several blips at Mettaton, but they harmlessly bounced off him.

"THAT WORTHLESS PEASHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING." Mettaton said. "YOU KNOW I WAS ONLY ACTING THE LAST TIME, RIGHT?"

Shinji stopped firing and looked at Kaworu.

"I can disable him, Shinji." He told him.

"NO, HE WON'T. LISTEN, I'VE SEEN HOW YOU TWO WORK. KAWORU, YOU COULD PROBABLY TAKE ME DOWN, BUT YOU WON'T BECAUSE SHINJI DOESN'T WANT THERE TO BE ANY BLOODSHED. YOU CAN PROTECT HIM ALL YOU WANT, BUT HE'LL NEVER LET YOU FIGHT BACK. IF YOU CONTINUE ON LIKE THIS, ASGORE WILL TAKE HIS SOUL AND DESTROY HUMANITY WITH IT. HOWEVER, IF I TAKE HIS SOUL, THEN I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN. I CAN SAVE HUMANITY! AND, WHEN I CROSS THE BARRIER, I'LL BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING!"

"No." Kaworu glared at the killer robot. "No one is taking Shinji's soul, not while I'm here."

"WELL, I KNOW _YOU_ WON'T GIVE UP YOUR SOUL, SO WHAT _WILL_ YOU DO?"

Shinj's phone rang. He answered it and, knowing it was Alphys, he asked, "What do we do?"

"I-I know this looks bad," she stammered, "b-but there is a way to beat him. I-it's a work in progress, so don't judge it too hard, but…you know how he always faces forward?"

"Yes."

"T-that's because there's a s-switch on his back. If you can get him to t-turn around and—and flip the switch, he'll be…he'll be…well…vulnerable. Th-that's all I got. Good luck!"

She hung up.

 _A switch? Is it really that simple?_

An image appeared in his head: Mettaton turning around, revealing a large switch on his back.

" _OH? A MIRROR? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR THE GRAND FINALE!"_

 _Again…_

"A…mirror?" Shinji asked out loud.

"OH? A MIRROR? WHERE?"

"Uh…behind you?"

"RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR THE GRAND FINALE!"

He turned around, revealing a large switch on his back. Shinji felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, yet he ran up to him and flicked the switch.

"DID YOU…JUST FLIP…MY SWITCH?"

Mettaton clutched the top of his rectangular body and started spinning around. His monitor was flashing different colors and many whirring and beeping noise came from him. Shinji and Kaworu backed away from him as everything was suddenly engulfed in white. Then, as soon as everything hadgone white, everything now went pitch black.

"Did…did that work?" Shinji asked.

"OHHHHHHH YES~!"

The spotlights and monitors turned on, with the later showing a graph of views and ratings. The stage was engulfed in a fog. Through it, the boys saw a faint silhouette of something human in shape. It stepped forward with a clicking sound that Shinji recognized as heels.

"OHHHH MY," the figure said, "IF YOU FLIPPED MY SWITCH, THEN THAT CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING: THAT YOU'RE DESPERATE FOR THE PREMIERE OF MY NEW BODY. HOW RUDE…"

"M-Mettaton?!"

"LUCKILY FOR YOU, I'VE BEEN ACHING TO SHOW THIS OFF FOR A LONG TIME. SO, AS THANKS, I'LL GIVE YOU BOTH A HANDSOME REWARD. I'LL MAKE YOUR LAST LIVING MOMENTS…"

The fog cleared, revealing a human looking robot with a charming smile and a heart on its chest.

"… _ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!_ "


	17. 3-17

**_Evangelion_ : brought to you by Tang.**

 ** _Undertale_ : brought to you by MTT Resort.**

 **This fanfiction: brought to you by...me.**

* * *

"LET'S NOT KEEP MY WATCHERS WAITING ANY LONGER!" Mettaton gave a dazzling smile to the cameras. "IT'S SHOWTIME! LIGHTS! CAMERAS! ACTION!"

Many tiny white Mettatons holding umbrellas drifted from above and dropped hearts at the boys. At the same time, Mettaton himself jumped forward and let loose a flurry of kicks, ignoring Kaworu completely and going after Shinji. Kaworu ran at the robot, his AT Field pushing him back. He responded by back flipping away from him. Once he made his final landing, he struck a dramatic pose.

"YES! THIS IS ALREADY GETTING GOOD! DRAMA! ROMANCE! BLOODSHED!"

Blocks and bombs were the next things to drop from above. Both boys once again ran out of the way. Once the last of them had dropped, Mettaton once again ran at Shinji. Kaworu intercepted him once again with his AT Field and he was thrown back. The robot landed on his feet and grinned.

"NOT BAD, BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR A POP QUIZ!" He pointed at the cameras. "AND YOU WATCHERS AT HOME CAN PARTICIPATE TOO!"

Shinji gaped at what he heard. "A quiz? Now?!"

"BUT OF COURSE! THIS IS STILL A SHOW, AFTER ALL! NOW, THIS ONE'S AN ESSAY QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS FANFICTION NEEDS MOST?"

"This...what?"

"SPEECHLESS, I SEE. WHAT ABOUT YOU, KAWORU?"

"All I want is for Shinji to be happy." He answered.

 _Kaworu? But why?_

The lines on the graphs of the monitors went up.

"OOH, THEY LOVE YOUR ANSWER! IT REALLY SHOWED EVERYONE YOUR HEARTS. WHY DON'T I SHOW YOU MINE?"

His heart flashed and waves of little lightning bolts shot out. The boys ducked to avoid them.

"The heart…" Kaworu muttered. He looked at Shinji and said, "I'm pretty sure that's his weakness. Try shooting it."

"I…" Shinji shook his head.

 _I guess I don't have any other choice._

He pointed the phone at Mettaton and fired shots at his heart. The robot winced in pain and the attack stopped. Shinji fired a few more direct shots. To his surprise, one of Mettaton's arms suddenly exploded at the shoulder joint. The now useless arm dropped to the ground. Mettaton clenched his remaining working hand.

"WAS MY SOLE WEAKNESS REALLY THAT OBVIOUS?" He asked. He struck a dramatic pose and said, "BUT I WILL NOT LOSE! NOW, LET'S SEE HOW YOU TWO DO ON THE DANCE FLOOR!"

A disco ball lowered itself from the ceiling. White and blue laser beams shot out of it. The boys got to their feet and prepared for more dodging.

"BOTH OF YOU, DANCE LIKE YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

The disco ball began to spin. Shinji moved to dodge the white lasers and stayed still when the blue ones passed by him. For some reason, Kaworu was mimicking him, even though his AT Field could have easily protected him.

Mettaton jumped into the center of the arena and joined in on the "dance". He struck poses as much as he tried to attack Shinji with his dance moves. The ratings on the monitors, meanwhile, were still increasing. The robot paused to glance at them.

"LOOK AT THOSE RATINGS GO!" He beamed. "THIS WILL BE THE MOST POPULAR SHOW SOON ENOUGH!"

 _What does he care about more: killing me or getting his ratings? Wait...what if...will he stop if his ratings get high enough? It's worth a shot…_

Shinji struck a pose befitting of a hero from one of his childhood shows.

"You can't beat us, Mettaton!" He announced.

The ratings went up slightly.

"Shinji?" Kaworu asked. "What are you doing?"

Mettaton blinked and focused his attention on Shinji once again.

"DARLING," he said, "THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE STAR HERE, AND THAT'S ME!"

Mini Mettatons appeared from above and once again started dropping hearts. At the same time, Mettaton fired more lightning bolts from his heart. Kaworu levitated towards the mini Mettatons, his AT Field deflecting and destroying them. With one less thing to dodge, Shinji fired at Mettaton, the shots destroying any bolts that were in their way. Once they struck their intended target, another arm blew off. The attacks stopped once again and the lasers from the disco ball shut off.

"Enough is enough." Shinji said. "Just stop now, please."

"STOP?" Mettaton gritted his teeth. "I...I DON'T NEED ARMS TO BEAT YOU! WHO NEEDS ARMS WITH LEGS LIKE THESE?"

Mettaton ran forward and jumped with a flying kick. Kaworu dropped between him and his intended target. His AT Field once again deflected Mettaton's attack. Somehow, he able to land on his feet as usual. Blocks and bombs fell from the ceiling, and the disco ball lasers switched back on. Shinji had to focus entirely on dodging everything.

"LET'S SEE THAT ON REWIND!" Mettaton announced.

Suddenly, the bombs and blocks that had fallen were now rising back up and the disco ball spun in reverse. Shinji was not expecting this to happen, and he got hit by a bomb while trying to move out of the way of the lasers. The explosion sent him flying and tumbling backwards. He cried out in pain and immediately grabbed his arm, which was what took the most damage. His phone dropped out of his hand.

"Shinji!" Kaworu shouted.

He ran over to his side and looked at his arm. It didn't look like it had suffered from an explosion, yet it was still in pain, judging by the way Shinji was clutching onto it. His soul, on the other hand, had a small fracture on it.

"A SUCCESSFUL HIT!" Mettaton grinned. "LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME FOR...HAPPY BREAK TIME!"

Little lights flashed around the stage and confetti fell from the ceiling as fanfare played. Kaworu ignored all that as he stood up and faced the robot, his expression cold. He was about to walk forward when he felt something grab his ankle. He stopped and looked at Shinji in surprise.

"Don't." Shinji pleaded.

"Shinji-."

"I know what you're thinking, but please, don't. He doesn't need to be destroyed, he just needs to be stopped."

Shinji slowly sat up and grabbed his phone. He got to his feet, pointed the phone at Mettaton, and repeated, "He just needs to be stopped."

"PERSISTENT, AREN'T YOU?" Mettaton asked. "WELL, IT WOULD BE ANTICLIMACTIC IF IT ENDED RIGHT NOW. LET'S GIVE EVERYONE ONE FINAL SHOWDOWN!"

His heart flashed and multitudes of lightning bolts shot out in waves. Shinji moved to duck, but wound up falling forward. Kaworu scooped him up in his arms and carried him bridal style as he ran out of the way of the attacks. Shinji gasped when he realized the position he was in now.

The ratings shot up.

"K-Kaworu?!"

"Can you keep firing like this?" Kaworu asked.

"Y-yeah."

Kaworu continued to dodge the attacks. Shinji found that it was harder to shoot and aim while he was moving, but he held the phone steady and did his best. Most of his shots went through Mettaton's attacks, but a few managed to hit his heart. After several more successful hits, both of Mettaton's legs blew off, leaving his upper body to fall on the floor. Sparks flew from his heart and the attacks stopped.

"Looks like you did it, Shinji." Kaworu said.

"Yeah." He paused and asked, "C-can you put me down now?"

"Are you sure?"

"I can stand, Kaworu."

Kaworu carefully set Shinji on his feet. He wobbled a bit, but he regained his balance. He walked up to the fallen Mettaton and said, "It's over, Mettaton."

"NO…" Mettaton said. "I WON'T GIVE UP...I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! I-!"

The ratings went up and the monitors started beeping.

"OH? WHAT'S THIS? WE'VE GAINED OVER FIFTY WATCHERS! WE'RE NOW AT THE FIFTY WATCHER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY WATCHER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!"

A phone started ringing.

"HI THERE! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, MY LAST SHOW?"

A familiar voice began to speak.

"oh...hi...mettaton...i really liked watching your show. my life is pretty boring...but seeing you on the screen...brought excitement to my life...vicariously…"

Mettaton and Shinji's eyes widened.

 _Napstablook?_

"but…" Napstablook went on, "...i guess this is the last episode? i'll miss you, mettaton...oh...i didn't mean to talk so long…"

"NO, WAIT!" Mettaton called out. "WAIT, BL-!"

There was a click on the other end.

"THEY...ALREADY HUNG UP…" Mettaton frowned, but then forced a grin on his face. "I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"

The phone rang again.

"HI THERE! WHAT DO YOU-?"

Several more phones rang and many voices began to talk at once.

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!"

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you!"

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart!"

 **"Mettaton, you're the best thing that's ever happened to the Underground!"**

There were several phone clicks and everything fell silent. Mettaton looked like he was about to cry.

"AH...I...I SEE...EVERYONE...THANK YOU SO MUCH." He looked at the boys and said, "DARLINGS...PERHAPS...IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS...THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT, THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT COULD NEVER BE FILLED. SO...I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT."

"I think that's the best thing you can do, Mettaton." Shinji said.

"You will let us pass, then?" Kaworu asked.

"OF COURSE. YOU'VE PROVEN YOURSELVES TO BE STRONG, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WORK TOGETHER. YOU SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE, TO PROTECT HUMANITY."

More sparks flew out of his heart and the lights behind his eyes began to flicker.

"Mettaton?" Shinji asked.

"YOU DID QUITE THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO ME, BUT TO BE HONEST, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS...INEFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER AND…"

"You're not going to die, are you?"

"...I'LL BE ALRIGHT, SHINJI. ALPHYS CAN ALWAYS FIX ME. NOW...KNOCK THEM DEAD, DARLINGS...AND EVERYONE...THANK YOU." He grinned. "YOU'VE ALL BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!"

Mettaton's eyes went dim and the sparks stopped flying. All the monitors shut off and the door slid open. Alphys ran into the room.

"I-I finally managed to open the lock." She said breathlessly. "Are you…?" Her eyes fell on Mettaton. "Oh my god. Mettaton!"

She ran up to him and immediately started examining him.

"Alphys…" Shinji said. "I'm sorry, but-."

"I-i-it's...oh thank god! It's the batteries! There's some damage, but I can fix it! Mettaton, if you were gone, then I...I would have…"

Shinji now remembered what Mettaton had told him before the fight.

"Alphys," he said, "was what Mettaton said true? Did you really manipulate everything from the start?"

Alphys lowered her head.

"It...it's true." She said. "You must hate me right now. I...I..." She looked like she was about to cry.

Kaworu faced her and said, "You wanted to feel like you were needed, right?"

Alphys blinked. "H-huh?"

"You don't feel like you're important, that no one really wants or needs you. That was why you set everything up: so that we would like you for what you've done for us."

"H-how did you k-know that? Is mind reading another one of your Angel powers?"

"No, I know because I know someone who feels the same way." He looked at Shinji. "Isn't that right, Shinji? That's why you pilot the Evangelion, isn't it?"

 _How does he know that? I've never told him why I pilot the Eva._

"Y-yes." Shinji gave a small nod. "I feel the same way, so...I guess I can understand why she did all that."

"You guys…" Alphys sniffled. "I'm so sorry I deceived you like this. I-I just…I only…"

"It's alright, Alphys. You wanted to help us; that's what matters most."

"I…" She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her lab coat. "T-there's one more thing I need to tell you. I d-didn't want to tell you, b-but I won't hide anything anymore."

"What is it?" Kaworu asked.

"It...it's about crossing the barrier. A human soul...isn't enough to cross it. You need it and...and a monster soul. You...you'll have to kill him. Kill Asgore."

Shinji was shocked. "Kill him? Isn't there another way?"

"...I wish there was. I...I don't know about Kaworu, though, since his soul is neither human nor monster."

"That's true." Kaworu admitted. "However, I will gladly offer up my soul if it means Shinji can leave."

"No!" Shinji grabbed Kaworu by the shoulders. "I won't let you! We're both going to leave, together! There…" He lowered his head. "There has to be another way."

"U-um…" Alphys looked towards the exit. "M-maybe you c-could...talk to him? I know he really wants a human soul, but...he's r-really nice. Or maybe...you could...stay here? I-I mean, it's not bad here."

"I wish I could," Shinji said sadly, "but everyone needs me. I have to go back."

"I think…" Kaworu paused for a moment before finishing his thought. "I want to check something, but we have to go to the barrier first."

"Ch-check something?" Alphys asked. "What?"

"I want to see if my soul alone is enough to cross the barrier."

"I already said I won't let you!" Shinji said.

"I'm not talking about sacrificing my soul, Shinji. If I can cross the barrier on my own, then...we'll just have to see if it works."

"...Okay. Let's go, Kaworu."

"Do you want to rest first?"

"No. We're this close to leaving, and I don't want to keep everyone waiting any longer."

"U-um…" Alphys spoke up. "Beyond that door is an elevator that will take you directly to Asgore's castle. G-good luck, you two."

"Thank you, Alphys, for everything."

"Y-you too."

Shinji and Kaworu made their way to the exit. Beyond it was a hallway with the elevator at the very end of it. They stepped inside and they ascended to their final destination.

 _Rei...Misato...Father...I'm almost there._

* * *

 **So yes, this story has over 50 watchers now! It's now the most popular story I've ever written! Thank you all so much for reviews and support!**


	18. 3-18

**_Evangelion_ : deja vu.**

 ** _Undertale_ : deja vu.**

 **This fanfiction: deja vu.**

* * *

When they stepped out of the elevator, the boys found themselves on top of a stone walkway. Below them were many old buildings that looked deserted. Everything was silent. They walked forward until they came across a very familiar looking building.

"Huh?" Shinji stared at the building.

 _This…_

It looked exactly like Toriel's home in the Ruins.

"Why is Toriel's house here?"

"Let's check inside." Kaworu said.

They went inside and found that the interior was nearly an exact replica of the house in the Ruins. The only thing that made it different was the atmosphere. Where Toriel's home was warm, inviting, and smelled of butterscotch cinnamon pie, this place was cold and lonely.

"Hello?" Shinji called out.

No one answered. They headed to the right and started searching for any signs of life. They found themselves in a bedroom with two small beds. On top of one of the pillows was a heart shaped locket. Shinji carefully picked it up and opened it.

Inside the two halves of the locket were a photo and the words: "Best Friends Forever". The photo was of two children, a monster that looked like Toriel and a human in a green and yellow striped shirt.

Shinji felt a twinge of familiarity.

 _This monster...was he Toriel's child? And who is this kid?_

He closed the locket and placed it back where he found it. Once he did, he noticed something sticking out from underneath the pillow. He pulled it out and was surprised to see that it was a worn looking dagger.

Why is this here?

"You might want to hang on to that, Shinji." Kaworu said.

"Why?"

"Just in case. Your only defense against Mettaton was that application on your phone, and it won't work on any other monsters."

"...Okay, but I really hope I don't need to use this."

"I hope so, too."

Shinji kept a loose grip on the dagger as he looked around the rest of the room. There were toys in a toybox and drawings of golden flowers taped to the wall. On the nightstand was a photo of four individuals: Toriel, her child, the human child, and a large monster that looked similar to Toriel. They were all smiling.

 _That must be Asgore. Then...they were a family...but why is Toriel in the Ruins? Did something...oh, she did say used to have children…_

Shinji's heart now felt heavy.

"Is something wrong?" Kaworu asked.

"They used to be a happy family," Shinji said, "but they lost their children."

 _Just like me and father after mom died…_

Kaworu sighed and suddenly said, "I wonder what it's like, being part of a family."

Shinji looked at him. "You don't consider the other Angels family?"

"We're all Adam's children, but what we are is different from what the Lilin consider to be family. Family is everyone who is related by blood, but the Lilin see family as something deeper that goes beyond blood. It doesn't entirely make sense to me."

"Family isn't just about blood; it's about people that love and care for each other." He pointed to the human child in the photo. "He's not related, but you can tell he's part of this photo. It shows that he's part of the family, too."

"So it's love that makes a family?"

"Yeah." Shinji nodded.

"Then, would we-?"

He was interrupted by a croak. They looked at the doorway and saw a familiar looking frog sitting there.

"I remember you." Shinji said to it. "You were in the Ruins."

"Yes…" The frog turned its head away shyly. "We've heard a lot about you. How you made friends with everyone...about your journey to leave...so we came to see you one last time."

"We?"

A bug monster fluttered into the room. He fidgeted and stammered, "B-b-before you g-g-go, w-we-w-w-we-."

A slime slithered in and finished for him, "We want to tell you a story. Follow us."

The monsters left the room. The boys followed closely behind and they found themselves going into the basement. There was a long hallway, all lined with monsters they have met throughout their journey. As they walked, each monster gave them a piece of their story.

"A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by his fall, the human called out for help. Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call and brought him back to the castle. Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The king and queen treated him as their own child. The underground was full of hope.

"Then, one day, the human became very ill. He had only one request: to see the flowers from their village. But...there was nothing we could do. The next day...the human died. Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul. He transformed into a being with incredible power. With the human's soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier. He carried the human's body into the sunset, back to his village.

"Asriel reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers and placed the human on it. Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body. They thought that he had killed him. They attacked Asriel with everything they had. He had the power to destroy them all, but...he did not fight back. Clutching the human, he smiled and walked away. Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed, his dust spread across the garden.

"The kingdom fell into despair. The king and queen had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us. The king decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human that falls down here must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

The hallway turned into an outdoor walkway that led straight to the castle.

"It's not long now." The monsters said.

"King Asgore will let us go."

"King Asgore will give us hope."

"King Asgore will save us all."

"You should be smiling, too."

"Aren't you excited?"

"Aren't you happy?"

"You're going to be free."

The boys entered the castle while the monsters stayed behind. They now walked down a hallway lined with stained glass windows.

"They're all expecting you to die." Kaworu said.

"I know," Shinji said, "but I'm not going to let that happen."

They stopped in place when they saw a familiar figure standing in front of the doorway at the end of the hallway. He slowly approached them with a neutral expression on his skull.

"So you finally made it." Sans said in a cold voice.

"Sans?" Shinji asked. "What are you doing here?"

"The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together, you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now, you will be judged."

"Judged?"

"You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned."

"EXP?"

"It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points'. A way of quantifying the pain you've inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. That, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'level of violence'. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt, and the more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

"But I've never killed anyone! Why are you judging me for something I've never done?!"

Sans' expression and voice lightened up.

"no," he said, "both of you have never killed anyone. you've never gained any LOVE. no matter the struggles or hardships you've faced, you strived to do the right thing. shinji, you see yourself as lonely, yet you have that tenderness in your heart. you cannot LOVE, but you can love. does that make any sense?"

Shinji nodded.

"And kaworu...i can tell you have the potential for LOVE, but you don't act on it because of shinji. i think you're trying to figure out what's right or wrong, and no one can teach you better than shinji. you've both grown during your journey. i can tell."

"You're right." Kaworu agreed. "Shinji is coming out of his shell and I'm learning more about the nature of both humans and monsters. We're really not that different."

"i guess not. now, you're about to face your greatest challenge. your actions will determine the fate of this world. if you refuse to fight, asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. but if you kill him and go home, the monsters will remain trapped underground. what will you do?"

"I want to talk to him." Shinji said. "There's got to be another way to do this without anyone dying."

"...your determination is strong. maybe...just maybe...you might find a way. either way, i know you'll do the right thing. good luck."

Sans vanished before their eyes.

"He vanished…" Shinji remarked. "Just who is he?"

"I don't know," Kaworu shook his head, "and I don't think we'll ever know."

They continued on. They passed a staircase going down. Shinji stopped walking and looked at it. He felt a strong compulsion to investigate, so he went on down. Noticing where Shinji was going, Kaworu followed him without a word.

There was a single room downstairs, and it contained seven small coffins. Shinji's face went pale as he examined each one. They all had names on them, but the one that made him give pause was the name "Chara".

 _Chara...that's what Flowey called me, and that dream...what does it mean?_

"Asgore must have killed them." Kaworu said.

Shinji lowered his head. "They're all so small. Were they all children?"

"Shinji, are you sure you can talk to him?"

"...I have to try. Let's get out of here."

They went back upstairs. Shinji felt relief from leaving the room, but now he was anxious.

 _Can I really talk to him? The other monsters said that he was nice, but…_

They stopped in front of a large doorway. Next to it was a sign that read: "Throne room".

Kaworu took Shinji's hand and squeezed it. He said, "This is it, Shinji. Are you ready?"

Shinji squeezed his hand back and gritted his teeth. He knew that there was no going back now.

"I'm ready."

They entered the throne room together.


	19. 3-19

**_Evangelion_ : reminds you that everyone is messed up.**

 ** _Undertale_ : reminds you that you don't have to kill anyone.**

 **This fanfiction: reminds you to look at the chapter titles in the index.**

* * *

The first thing Shinji and Kaworu saw in the room was a large bed of yellow flowers. In the back was a large, empty throne. They had expected Asgore to be sitting in it, but instead, he was watering the flowers with a little watering can, his back towards them.

"Um...Asgore?" Shinji spoke up. "King Asgore?"

"Oh!" He said. "A visitor! Hang on one moment, I'm almost done watering these flowers."

He turned around to greet them with a smile.

"Howdy! Oh, we have two…"

His voice trailed off and he frowned. There was an awkward moment of silence before he sighed and said, "I so badly want to say 'would you like a cup of tea', but...you know how it is."

"We don't want to fight you, Asgore." Shinji said. "We just want to talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"Crossing the barrier."

"Oh...I'm afraid there isn't anything to talk about. You probably know how the barrier works by now and...well...follow me when you're ready."

Asgore sighed again and walked through a doorway at the back of the room. The boys followed a short distance behind him. Shinji noticed that Asgore's walk and posture was off.

 _He doesn't want to do this either…_

"Pretty tense, isn't it?" Asgore asked. "Just...think of it like a visit to the dentist's office."

"Asgore," Shinji said, "it doesn't have to be like this."

"...We're here."

They stopped in front of a wall of shimmering light.

"The barrier…" Kaworu said.

"Yes," Asgore said, "this is what keeps us all trapped underground." He paused before saying, "If...if by chance you have any unfinished business, then please…"

"Asgore," Shinji said, "just listen to us, please."

Asgore slowly turned around to face them. His face was somber and his voice was sad when he said, "If it's about finding another way to destroy the barrier, then say nothing more. Other humans have asked me before, and...there is no other way. It pains me each time I do this, but I only need one more."

Seven holes opened up in the ground and seven glass containers rose up. Six of them had glowing hearts of different colors. The seventh was empty.

"One more, and everyone will finally be free. It can end three ways. You can turn back. I won't blame you, and it's probably the best thing you can do. I could obtain your soul and finally break the barrier, or…"

"Or we would kill you and use your soul to cross the barrier." Kaworu finished for him.

"...Yes. What will you do?"

"I…" Shinji clenched and unclenched his free hand. "I have to leave, but I don't want you to die."

"...I don't want this either, but if that's your choice...humans...it was nice to meet you...goodbye."

A red trident appeared in Asgore's hand and he charged at them. Kaworu was the first to react. He leapt towards Asgore, the force of his AT Field pushing him away. He crashed into the barrier and he fell forward, wincing in pain. Many balls of fire started to rain down from above. Shinji watched them and dodged accordingly.

Asgore stood up and ran at Kaworu trident first, but he was deflected once more. He fired a steady stream of fireballs at him from his hand, but they vanished the moment they made contact with his AT Field.

"So you can use magic." Asgore noted grimly.

"It's not magic," Kaworu said, "it's the power of my soul."

"I see. Your soul...it's neither human nor monster. Then…" He faced Shinji. "I'm sorry."

He ran at him and started swinging his trident. Shinji ran out of the way, but stumbled and fell. He rolled from side to side as Asgore tried to stab him. Kaworu ran up to them and grabbed the trident, stopping it short from piercing Shinji's soul.

"Stop doing this, Asgore." He commanded.

Asgore fired a single large fireball at him. This time, it struck and sent him flying backwards.

"Kaworu!" Shinji cried out.

 _Why didn't he use his AT Field?! Was he afraid of hurting me, too, if he used it?_

Asgore once again raised his trident. Shinji rolled out of the way of the attack and got to his feet. He remembered the worn dagger in his hand and he stared at it.

 _Do I really have no other choice?_

He felt another wave of deja vu.

 _"I had no choice, Shinji. This was the only way you could leave."_

 _Another one...Kaworu?_

More fire rained from above and he ran out of the way. He glanced behind and saw Asgore in hot pursuit. His grip on the dagger tightened.

 _I musn't run away I musn't run away I musn't run away…!_

Shinji stopped and faced Asgore. He dodged the swings of his trident and lunged forward with the dagger. It pierced his chest and embedded itself all the way up to its hilt.

Asgore's eyes widened and he dropped his trident. Shinji stared in horror at what he had done and he backed away. Asgore pulled the dagger out and clutched at his chest. There was no blood, but it was obvious he was in pain.

"Oh god…" Shinji croaked. "Asgore, I-!"

"You've got me…" Asgore said with a pained frown. "This...this is your chance."

"Asgore, no…"

"...I remember the day after my son died. The entire Underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken by humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came here, that I would use their souls to become godlike and free us from this terrible prison, that I would destroy humanity and let monsters roam the surface in peace. Soon, everyone's hopes returned.

"My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, left me…" His face scrunched up. "Truthfully...I do not want power. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope, but...I can't take this any longer. I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. Please...this has gone on long enough. You have the power, so please...take my soul and leave this cursed place."

"Asgore…" Shinji dropped to his knees. "I can't. Honestly, I don't want to leave, and I don't want to kill you, but everyone back up needs me. I have to go back, but...I can't kill you."

"You don't have to." A voice spoke up.

Shinji and Asgore looked towards the direction of the voice. Kaworu was standing up and, though his soul had lost some of its sparkle, he was still smiling. They stared in shock.

He was standing on the other side of the barrier.

"Kaworu?!" Shinji exclaimed. "You crossed the barrier?!"

"But...how?" Asgore asked.

Kaworu walked through the barrier. As he passed through it, his soul shined brightly. He said, "This was what we wanted to talk to you about, Asgore. You are right: my soul is neither human nor monster. Monsters can't cross the barrier, so their only hope is destroying it. A human can cross, but only with the power of a monster's soul. I wanted to see how the barrier would react to the soul of an Angel, and it turns out that my soul alone is strong enough to cross it."

He stopped in front of Shinji and knelt in front of him. He said, "Shinji, I said before that all I wanted was for you to be happy. I also said that I would take the burden of piloting the Evangelion from you if anything happened. If you are truly happy here, if you really want to stay, then you can stay. I'll go back to the surface and pilot the Eva in your place."

"K-Kaworu...you would really do that for me?"

"Of course. This way, you can stay here with your friends, and no one has to die."

Asgore looked at Kaworu, then at Shinji. He asked, "Do you really want to stay here?"

"Yes." Shinji nodded. "I made friends here, and they like me. I don't have to do anything just to feel needed and liked. Here, everyone likes me not because I pilot the Eva, but because I'm me."

"I see. Then, as long as you're here, I promise that my wife and I will take care of you. We can sit in the living room, tell stories, eat butterscotch cinnamon pie...we can be like a family...if you'd like."

"I…" Shinji felt his heart swell with joy. "I would like that a lot."

 _Friends...a family…_

A thought crossed his mind and he looked at Kaworu. He asked, "Kaworu...why are you doing all this for me? We haven't known each other that long, and yet you've protected me, saved me, and now you're taking my place in piloting the Eva. Why?"

"I thought it would be obvious," Kaworu said, "but I don't mind telling you why. It's because I love-."

A vine with red thorns suddenly shot through his chest and soul. His eyes widened and he looked down at what had pierced him. Then…

...before everyone's eyes...

...his soul…

...shattered.

The vine withdrew from behind, leaving Kaworu to slump and fall forward in front of Shinji.

Shinji stopped breathing.

Shinji stopped blinking.

"K...K…"

He heard Asgore gasp and he turned his head. He saw rings of white pellets surround and strike him down. His body turned to dust and his gray soul hovered above it. It didn't last long, though, as a single pellet appeared and struck it, shattering it.

"A...Ah…"

Shinji clutched his head and screamed.

 _This isn't happening! This isn't' real! This is just a nightmare! Kaworu! Asgore! KAWORU!_

He heard a familiar laugh. He stared forward as a familiar face rose out of the ground with the six souls surrounding it.

 _Flowey…_

"You idiot." The flower grinned maliciously. "You haven't learned a thing. In this world, it's _kill_ or _be_ killed."

Everything went black.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

 **Document "Flowey-1" created.**

 **Document "Flowey-2" created.**

 **Document "Flowey-3" created.**


	20. Flowey-1

**_Evangelion_ : the popular series that's hard to write fanfictmine on.**

 ** _Undertale_ : the mine series that's eamine to writemine fanfiction mine.**

 **This fanfiction: mineminemineminemineminemineminemineminemine**

" **Flowey-1" loaded**

Everything was cold and dark.

A large TV turned on and Flowey's face appeared on it.

Tears trickled out of Shinji's eyes as he was forced to accept the reality he was in now.

"Howdy!" Flowey greeted. "It's me, Flowey; Flowey the flower! I owe you a huge thanks. You really weakened that old fool. Without you and your friend, I would have never beaten him! And now…"

His face morphed into a skull. "He's dead! And I've got the human souls!" His face returned to normal. "Boy! I've been empty for so long. It feels great to have a soul inside me again. Mmmm, I can feel them wriggling…"

"Y...You…" Shinji sobbed.

"Aw, are you feeling left out? Well that's just perfect. After all, I only have six souls; I still need one more before I become God. And then, with my newfound powers…"

His face morphed into Toriel's.

"Monsters…"

It changed into Shinji's.

"Humans…"

His face started spiraling.

"Everyone...I'll show them the real meaning of this world. Yes, I could have gotten your friend's special soul. I could have really become God then…"

His face changed into Kaworu's. "But then I would have never gotten to see the look of absolute despair on your face as he died in front of you. And besides, you need to learn what this world is really about, so I've made a new save file. I'll save over your death so that you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces."

His face changed into a skull. "Over, and over, and over again."

Shinji clenched and unclenched his fist. He looked at Kaworu, then at the dust pile where Asgore used to be, and he noticed the dagger. He snatched it up and got to his feet. He trembled with sorrow, fear, and rage.

"What?" Flowey blinked. "You think you can stop me? Boy, you really _are_ an idiot."

"Y-You…!" Shinji stammered. "I-I hate you!"

He let out a cry and ran at the TV screen. It suddenly rose several yards into the air and the area became a bit brighter. Shinji stopped at what he saw.

Towering over him was an abomination not unlike that of the Angels he had fought. It had four eyes and a sideways jaw. It had many metal tubes connected to its mouth and the TV screen. It had cactus arms with claws and vines with red thorns sprouting from its ivy and metal covered body.

 _W-Wha…n-no..._

Flowey laughed.

Shinji screamed.

" **Flowey-1" saved**

" **Flowey-3" saved**

Many rows of white four pointed stars fired at him. He instinctively ducked, but red circles appeared around him. He rolled out of the way as circles of white pellets attempted to close in on him. The next thing he knew, he was caught in the middle of a blast of fire.

Before he could let out a scream of pain, many vines shot forward and impaled him.

"Gh-!"

Pain overwhelmed him. He could feel his soul fracturing, and then…

...it shattered.

" **Flowey-1" loaded**

Many rows of white four pointed stars fired at him. He instinctively ducked, but red circles appeared around him. He rolled out of the way as circles of white pellets attempted to close in on him.

 _Wait, haven't I…?_

Shinji stopped moving and found himself inches away from a blast of fire. He got to his feet and ran just as vines shot out in his direction.

"That's it!" Flowey laughed. "Run! Run away! That's all you're good at, anyways!"

He stopped and turned to face the abomination. He tightened his grip on the dagger.

 _I...I can't! There's no way I can do this!_

An image of a light blue heart appeared on the monitor, along with the word "Warning".

Shinji was suddenly alone. Giant white knives appeared around him and starting spinning.

 _Wh...What is this? What's going on?_

He easily moved out of the way of the spinning knives. He didn't know why, but even though he was alone, he felt like there was someone with him.

"Is someone there?" He called out.

No one answered, but the knives briefly wavered in their movements.

"Someone...please...help me."

The knives stopped spinning. They turned into green band aids that flew right at Shinji. Once they made contact with his soul, he felt some of his energy return.

(Help us.)

Shinji found himself standing in front of Flowey again. He barely had any time to react as bombs dropped from above. The explosions sent him flying and he tumbled several yards away from Flowey. He gritted his teeth and got to his feet.

He had no time to think about what had just happened as a swarm of flies flew right at him. He ran from them, but the next thing he knew, vines were shooting at him. He stumbled and could do nothing as he was impaled. He felt his soul fracture...then shatter.

" **Flowey-1" loaded**

Many rows of white four pointed stars fired at him. He instinctively ducked, but red circles appeared around him. He rolled out of the way as circles of white pellets attempted to close in on him.

 _Wait, haven't I…?_

Shinji stopped moving and found himself inches away from a blast of fire. He got to his feet and ran just as vines shot out in his direction.

 _This is too familiar…_

Small vines shot out of Flowey's back and started firing bullets at him. Fortunately, they didn't move as fast as real bullets, so Shinji was able to dodge them. They suddenly stopped firing as an image of an orange heart appeared on the monitor along with the word "Warning".

Shinji was suddenly alone. Giant white fighting gloves were clustered in rings and spinning towards him. He didn't know why, but he felt like he wasn't really alone. He also felt very confused.

 _Why is this so familiar? Have I done this before?_

" _Someone...please...help me."_

"Someone...help?"

The gloves stopped spinning. They turned green and formed into thumbs-ups. Knowing its color significance, Shinji lightly touched one and felt some of his energy return.

(Don't give up.)

Shinji was suddenly back in the same space as Flowey.

" **Flowey-2" saved**

White four-sided stars fired at him and he ducked to avoid them. Flowey opened its large mouth and suddenly fired a laser beam.

Shinji's soul shattered before he could make a sound.


	21. Flowey-2

" **Flowey-2" loaded**

White four-sided stars fired at him and he ducked to avoid them. Bombs dropped from above and circles of pellets moved to close in on him. Shinji was able to avoid the bombs, but one of the rings of pellets got him. He cried out in pain, but he did not allow himself to stop running.

The attacks suddenly stopped as a dark blue heart appeared on the monitor.

Shinji found himself alone with a row of giant ballet slippers hovering above him. They dropped one by one in their attempt to squish him. Fortunately for him, they were easy enough to dodge. He now had time to think.

 _I've done this before...or something like it. Why? How? Nothing's making any sense._

" _Please...help?"_

"Help...I need help."

The slippers stopped moving. Green music notes appeared and Shinji moved to touch as many as he can. He felt reinvigorated.

(Fight back.)

Shinij found himself in front of Flowey once again. Leafy balls with teeth on them launched themselves from its back and started bouncing towards him. He felt a bit of confidence swell up inside him and he tightened his grip on the dagger.

 _I have to fight. I don't have an EVA or Kaworu by my side...but I have to fight._

He ran past the things and made his way towards Flowey. It did not even try to move out of the way as Shinji swung the dagger across its face. It laughed at his attempt to fight back.

"Was that your attack?" Flowey asked. "I barely felt a thing!"

Vines shot out of the ground, forcing Shinji to retreat.

 _That didn't do anything! How can I beat him?_

A purple heart now appeared on the monitor.

Shinji was surrounded by large notebooks that kept opening and closing themselves. Sheets of paper flew at him with negative words like "cruelty", "murderer", "ruin", and "despair" written on them. He knew what he had to do.

"I know you're there!" He called out. "So please, help me!"

The words instantly changed into more positive ones, like "success", "relief", "calm", and "kindness". As they made contact with his soul, he felt those very feelings wash over him.

(You're not alone.)

" **Flowey-2" saved**

Vines shot out of the ground, but Shinji managed to dodge them.

" **Flowey-2" loaded**

 _What?_

Vines shot out of the ground and struck Shinji. He fell to the ground and started rolling away when more bombs dropped from above. He got to his feet and ran to attack Flowey again.

" **Flowey-2" loaded**

Vines shot out of the ground and struck Shinji. He fell to the ground and started rolling away when more bombs dropped from above.

 _This...this has happened before._

Flowey fired bullets at him, so he got to his feet and ran. It stopped attacking when a green heart appeared on the monitor.

The next thing he knew, Shinji was dodging fire thrown by many giant frying pans.

 _All of this...I know what to do…_

"Help me!" He called out.

The fire turned into green eggs, which landed on him and gave him a boost of energy and confidence.

(We are with you.)

Flowey shot more fire at him. He moved out of the way, then ran forward and struck him with the dagger. Flowey laughed again and fired more green balls with teeth at him. They latched onto his arms and started gnawing on him. Shinji screamed in pain and repeatedly stabbed them until they vanished. By the time he vanquished them, a ring of pellets appeared and started to close in on him. He ducked to dodge them.

" **Flowey-2" loaded**

Vines shot out of the ground and struck Shinji. He fell to the ground and started rolling away when more bombs dropped from above. Flowey fired bullets at him, so he got to his feet and ran.

 _I_ have _done this before! But...how long is this going to happen?_

A yellow heart appeared on the monitor. Shinji found himself face to face with a large revolver. Red reticles appeared where he stood, so he moved out of the way just before the gun fired at him.

 _These...these are the human souls, aren't they?_

"I need your help!" He called.

The reticles turned into hearts and the gun started firing green four leaf clovers at him. He felt a bit of energy return to him with each clover that hit his soul.

(We will help you.)

The gun vanished and Shinji now found himself surrounded by six hearts.

"The six human souls…"

(You called for us when we were alone.)

(We were lost, but your voice guided us.)

(Separate, we are weak.)

(Together, we are strong.)

(Together, we can fight back.)

(Together, we can win.)

 _This confidence...this power...yeah...I can do this! I_ can _do this!_

Shinji was now back in the same space as Flowey. He glared at it, no longer afraid. It sensed this change in him and asked, "Do you really think you can fight back?"

Instead of answering, he ran at it and attacked. Unlike the last times, his attack actually left a mark, and Flowey cried out in pain. It stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Wh-what?! What happened to my defenses?! You…! Where did you get this strength?!"

Flowey fired waves upon waves of stars. Shinji ran past them and continued to attack. It fired bullets, bombs, flies, and everything else it had to try to stop him.

Nothing deterred Shinji from fighting back.

He felt the strength and support from the six human souls coursing inside him. He felt hope that he could beat Flowey and avenge Asgore and Kaworu. He felt like he would no longer be afraid of anything.

He would no longer run away.

Shinji struck hard at Flowey and it finally stopped attacking. Its body was covered in bloodless gashes and it was trembling. Its four eyes widened at stared at him.

"N-no…" Its voice shook with disbelief. "This can't be happening! You...you…!"


	22. Flowey-3

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

Flowey looked no worse for wear. On its monitor, a smug face grinned at Shinji. He gaped when he saw that all of efforts were easily undone.

"You idiot." Flowey laughed.

"H-how?!" Shinji shouted.

"Oh? Have you finally started remembering what happened in the other save files?"

Flowey fired a giant laser beam at Shinji.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

"Do you now remember all the times you've died?"

Flowy shot vines at him.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

 _No…_

"What about the time you killed Toriel?"

Flowey fired a giant laser beam at Shinji.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

 _It can't be…_

"What about the time your friend killed everyone?"

Flowey shot vines at him.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

 _Stop…_

"Do you remember?"

Flowey fired a laser beam at Shinji.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

 _Stop it..._

"Do."

Flowey shot vines at him.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

 _Stop it!_

"You."

Flowey fired a laser beam at Shinji.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

 _Stop it already!_

"Remember?!"

Flowey shot vines at him.

His soul shattered instantly.

" **Flowey-3" loaded**

Flowey laughed as Shinji dropped to his knees, all of his hope and confidence now gone.

"Did you really think you could beat me?!" Flowey's face appeared on the monitor, its eyes narrowed. "I am the God of this world. And you? You're hopeless. Hopeless and alone."

"No…" Shinji croaked.

"Golly, that's right!" Its face morphed into Toriel's, then Kaworu's. "Your worthless friends can't save you now."

A ring of pellets surrounded Shinji.

"Call for help; I dare you. Cry into the darkness! 'Mommy! Daddy!' Somebody help!' See what good it does you!"

 _I...I can't do this. The human souls...are they still there?_

"Please...help." Shinji pleaded.

Nothing happened.

"See? Boy, what a shame! Nobody else is gonna get to see you die!"

It laughed as the ring of pellets closed in on Shinji. He covered his head and shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

But it didn't.

He opened his eyes and saw that the pellets were gone. Flowey looked surprised.

"What? How did you…? Well, I'll just…"

 **Document "Flowey-3" not found**

"W-wha…? What about…?"

 **Document "Flowey-1" not found**

 **Document "Flowey-2" not found**

"Where are my files? Where are my powers?!"

The six human souls suddenly emerged from Flowey and started circling it. Shinji stared as Flowey started flashing a myriad of colors, its body slowly disintegrating piece by piece.

"NO!" It screamed. "You can't do that! You're supposed to obey me! Stop! STOP IT! _STOOOOOOOOOOOOP_!"

Everything went white.


	23. 3-X

Shinji was back in front of the barrier, though it looked weaker than it did earlier. Next to him was Kaworu's body and the dust pile that used to be Asgore, just like they were before. Flowey was back in his normal form, though he looked beaten and worn. He almost looked pitiful.

But Shinji did not feel any pity. Instead, he felt rage. Rage for what he had done to Kaworu and Asgore. Rage for what he had put him through. Rage. Rage. Rage.

 **Kill.**

Shinji screamed and ran at Flowey with the dagger in his hand. He tore Flowey out of the ground and stabbed his face over and over again. He only stopped once his arms tired out. Flowey slowly blinked, then laughed.

"I knew it." He said weakly. "I knew you had it in you...Chara."

He disintegrated into dust.

The rage left Shinji, leaving him feeling hollow inside. He looked at Kaworu, then at the barrier. The ground suddenly shook, and he remembered why he had to leave.

 _They...they need me. I can go back now...I can return, but...Kaworu..._

He sniffled and tears started leaking from his eyes. He wiped his eyes, but the tears would not stop. He covered his face and allowed himself to cry.

 _I...I wanted you to go back with me. I wanted us to go together. Kaworu…_

"Kaworu!"

Shinji sobbed loudly. He cried for what felt like forever. When he ran out of tears to shed, he wiped his eyes again and forced himself to walk towards the weakened barrier. His footsteps felt heavy as he passed through the barrier without any trouble.

…

…

…

There was no sound, no physical sensations, nothing.

All was darkness.

 _How did I get here?_

Shinji felt like he had been here forever, and also for not very long at the same time, wherever here was. He thought back to what had happened.

 _I left the Underground...and there was that Angel._

He remembered the Angel being the first thing he saw when he stepped out into the sunlight. It was fighting against Eva 00 and an unfamiliar Eva in red in Tokyo 3. He started running towards the city when he came across some NERV personnel.

 _They were relieved that they found me, but they weren't concerned about me at all. They brought me back...and father was angry. Angry that I ran away, that I wasn't there when they needed me most._

He had gotten back into Eva 01 and joined the fight against what was now identified as the 10th Angel. The Angel had taken down the red Eva, whose pilot was revealed as a girl named Asuka. The name sounded familiar, yet Shinji didn't have time to dwell on it. The Angel had absorbed Eva 00, and Rei with it.

 _I tried to get Rei back and…_

That was all he could remember. Now, he was floating in empty space, alone.

 _Am I dead?_

For a long time, nothing happened. Time continued to pass. Shinji felt like he would go insane from the loneliness and the constant state of nothingness.

 _Is this how it ends for me? Stuck here forever?_

The silence was broken by the sound of a cell phone ringing. He recognized it as the phone Alphys had given him. However, he had no means of seeing or reaching the source of the ringing. It soon went to voicemail.

"heya. you there, shinij?"

 _Sans?_

"oh well, i'll just leave this message then. so...it's been awhile. the queen returned and is now ruling the underground. she's instated a new policy: that all humans that fall here will not be treated as enemies, but as friends. it's probably for the best, anyways. the human souls the king had gathered...seem to have disappeared. so, uh, that plan ain't happening any time soon, but even though the people are heartbroken over the king, and things are looking grim for our future, the queen's trying her best not to let us give up hope. so, uh, if we're not giving up down here, don't give up wherever you are, okay? who knows how long it will take, but we will get out here."

 _Don't give up? But I can't even do anything anymore…_

"SANS!" A familiar voice cut in. "WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?!"

 _Papyrus…_

"oh, nobody."

"WHAT?! NOBODY?! CAN I TALK TO THEM, TOO?!"

"here, knock yourself out."

"WAIT A SECOND...I RECOGNIZE THIS NUMBER! HEY, SHINJI! HOW ARE YOU DOING? I'M DOING JUST FINE! WELL, BESIDES ONE THING...THE QUEEN DISBANDED THE ROYAL GUARD, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT HUMANS ANYMORE. WOW! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE, BUT THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE I'M STILL WORKING HARD...EVEN IF IT'S ON NOTHING AT ALL. SO, DON'T FEEL BAD!

"I'M FINE...BUT IT'S UNDYNE THAT'S GOT IT BAD. SHE LOST HER JOB, THEN SHE LOST HER HOUSE...IT WAS SAD, BUT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF HER. SHE LIVES ON OUR COUCH NOW. IT'S LIKE A SLEEPOVER EVERY NIGHT! A SLEEPOVER THERE'S NO ESCAPE FROM. OH, WE GAVE HER A JOB, TOO. SANS HIRED HER AT HIS ILLEGAL HOT DOG STAND. SHE HATES WORKING THERE, BUT SHE MAKES A MEAN HOT DOG!"

 _Papyrus...you're really trying to make the best of everything, aren't you? And Undyne...I know she wanted to kill me, but I feel bad for her._

"OH...YEAH...SHE STILL BLAMES YOU...FOR ASGORE'S DISAPPEARANCE. SHE TALKS TO ME A LOT ABOUT GETTING REVENGE ON YOU. SHE HAS THIS LUDICROUS PLAN TO CROSS THE BARRIER AND BEAT YOU UP. TO BE HONEST, I THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, BUT I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S NOT! CAUSE IF I GO WITH HER, THEN I GET TO SEE YOU AGAIN...EVEN IF I HAVE TO FIGHT YOU. WELL, KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED, AND KEEP IN TOUCH!"

 _She thinks I killed Asgore...I don't blame her for thinking that...and I don't think she's going to find me anyways...wherever I'm at._

"hey, paps?" Sans cut in. "can you pass the phone? i have to tell shinji one last thing."

"OKAY. BYE BYE, SHINJI!"

"so...uh...we saw what happened to kaworu. i don't know who killed him, might have been asgore, but i want you to know that you have our condolences."

 _Kaworu…_

"knowing you, this isn't how you wanted things to end. if your determination is strong enough, you could change things. you could get a happier ending. well...the choice is yours. see ya, shinji."

The phone beeped, signaling the end of the message.

 _Change things? A happier ending? I_ want _to change things. I want Kaworu to live. I want monsters to be free and happy. But...that's impossible...isn't it? Wait...these feelings...why are they so familiar?_

…

 _I_ have _done this before. Just like when I fought Flowey. I...I can go back. I can try again. I can save Kaworu! I can help everyone! I...I just have to go back! I can...I_ can _!_

The last thing Shinji felt was a tremendous surge of determination well up from inside.

* * *

 ** _Evangelion_ : it's never the end it's never the end it's never the**

 ** _Undertale_ : end it's never the end it's never the end it's**

 **This fanfiction: never the end it's never the end it's never the end**


	24. 4-1

**_Evangelion_ : has a Rebuild.**

 ** _Undertale_ : has fan games.**

 **This fanfiction: has the most follows out of all my stories.**

* * *

 _I have to go back._

Shinji kept thinking this even though his steps took him further and further away from Tokyo 3. He was currently walking down a nature trail in the country. He never gave his path any conscious thought; his feet just took him there while he secluded himself in his mind.

 _They're probably looking for me; wanting me to pilot the Eva again._

He had originally wandered around the city, but the noise became too much for him and he moved his wanderings to the country. The sounds of the birds and cicadas were preferable to people. Out here, he was alone.

" _I musn't run away"…so much for that._

Up ahead, he could see Mt. Ebott. It had never attracted his attention before, but seeing it on the horizon, Shinji felt a sudden twinge of déjà vu. He felt like he had walked down this path before, and something about the mountain called out to him. His curiosity piqued, he decided to go there.

There were stories about Mt. Ebott, like how children went missing and were never seen again. Old folklore said that they were spirited away by ghosts or demons, but that was all it was: folklore. Even though he had no reason to believe in them when there were Angels to worry about, the thought still lingered in Shinji's mind as he climbed the mountain.

" _How many times will you do this?"_

Shinji turned around. For a split second, he thought he saw Rei standing several feet away from him. He rubbed his eyes and saw that he was staring at nothing. This was the second time he thought he had seen her since he arrived at Tokyo 3.

 _Am I hallucinating? No...that was definitely her voice. Just what's going on?_

He decided to keep going. His foot caught something and he found himself stumbling forward. He expected to fall flat on the ground, but he found himself tumbling downwards. Something struck his head and he fell unconscious.

* * *

The first thing Kaworu saw when he opened his eyes was the vast expanse of stars. He saw that he was in his coffin back at Tabgha Base and he sat up. He looked towards the Earth.

 _So it's repeating again._

He knew that around this point, a member of SEELE would come and talk to him about the Third Child before prepping him to pilot EVA Mark 06. This time, however, he would not wait. He activated his AT Field and made his way towards the planet.

 _No matter how many times this timeline resets, I will do everything in my power to make you happy, Shinji._

* * *

When Shinji woke up, he half expected to see an unfamiliar ceiling. Instead, he saw the stars and the moon high above him. He saw all this through a hole in a cavern. He had to have been out for a couple of hours if the moon was up now. He sat up and noticed that he was lying on a bed of yellow flowers. He also noticed a sharp pain on his head. He rubbed the sore spot and touched something wet: blood. He now worried that he was trapped in the cavern.

He cursed his stupidity for leaving his phone behind. When he left, he didn't want to be bothered by phone calls from Misato, and now he was regretting his decision. Combined with the fact that no one knew where he was, Shinji knew that no one was coming to rescue him.

 _So I just wait until I die? Is there no other way out?_

Shinji got to his feet and decided to look around. The moonlight offered little visibility, but further down, he thought he could see another ray of moonlight. He decided to walk towards it.

Once he stepped into the moonlight, he heard something approach him from the darkness. A lone figure wearing white and purple robes stepped forward. She looked and moved like a human, yet she had white fur and a goat's head. For some reason, Shinji didn't feel like he should be afraid of this monster.

 _...Monster?_

"Hello," she greeted. "Are you alright?"

"I…" Shinji shook his head. "I don't know. Am I dreaming?"

"No you are not, child. I know you must be confused, but don't be afraid. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through here every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time."

"I...I'm Shinji. Please, can you help me?"

"Of course, Shinji. I will do my best to protect you during your time here. Come. I will guide you through the catacombs."

He stayed close to her as she guided him through the ruins.

During the trip, he came across many types of monsters. Though they looked menacing, they actually weren't bad at all. When he had arrived at Toriel's home, he was given quiche and a slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie for dinner. He was also given a room to stay in, though he knew he would have to leave and start looking for a way out once he got his rest.

The whole time he was here, he felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu, and it seemed to follow him in his nightmares.


	25. 1-1

_**Evangelion**_ **: gets depressing really quickly.**

 _ **Undertale**_ **: gets depressing at certain times.**

 **This fanfiction: gets depressing right here.**

* * *

Shinji sat alone on the shore. Many crucified Evas stood in the sea of LCL, as well as a giant head. He stared at the head, and it stared back at him with dead eyes. He thought about how things got to this point.

He didn't entirely get what had happened. He saw those things tear apart Eva 02 like vultures on carrion. Those things then took him up into the sky and he saw a giant version of Rei. Things got confusing after that.

" _Nobody wants me, so they can all just die."_

" _Nobody cares whether or not I exist. Nothing ever changes, so they can all just die."_

" _It would be better if I never existed. I should just die, too."_

All of humanity had turned into LCL and he, Rei, everyone one he knew and didn't know, had become one.

" _But...this isn't right. I don't think this is right."_

He wanted to see everyone again, even if it meant getting hurt or betrayed. He had heard his mother's voice, saying that anyone can come back if they have the heart to do so. When he emerged from the sea of LCL, he went to the nearest shore and waited.

" _I still don't know where to find happiness...but I'll continue to think about whether it's good to be here...whether it was good to have been born."_

He didn't know how long he had waited for someone, anyone, to emerge from the LCL. Had it been hours? Days? Longer? He broke his gaze with the giant head and buried his head between his knees. He allowed the one thought he dreaded most to fill his mind.

 _No one's coming back._

Shinji stood up and turned his back to the sea. He focused his attention to the makeshift grave marker he had set up: a simple post with Misato's cross necklace nailed to it. Whether or not she came back, it was the only thing he could do to honor her memory.

 _No one's coming back._

He looked away from it and started walking without really paying attention to where he was going.

 _What...do I do now? There's no Eva to pilot, no school to go to, nothing...no one._

He noticed that he was walking uphill. There wasn't anything that told him where he was, but he thinks that it's the mountain that was just outside of Tokyo 3. He stumbled and the next thing he knew, he was falling downwards into darkness.

* * *

It was night when Shinji woke up. He stood up and saw that he had fallen on a bed of yellow flowers. Those flowers were the first sign of life he had seen since he had emerged from the LCL. He rubbed his head and felt a lump that caused him to wince in pain. As he stood up, he noticed that he felt a bit heavier than normal...or maybe it was just him. Up ahead, he saw a patch of moonlight with more yellow flowers. With nowhere else to go, he walked towards it.

He was caught off guard when he saw that one of the flowers had a smiley face on it.

"Howdy!" It greeted. "I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower!"

 _...I've lost it._

"Hmm, you're new to the Underground, aren'cha? Golly, you must be so confused! Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. First, do you see that heart in front of your chest?"

Shinji glanced down and saw that there was indeed a glowing red heart in front of his chest. He lightly touched it and found it strangely cold to the touch.

 _Is this real?_

"That is your soul, the very culmination of your being." Flowey continued to explain.

 _My...soul? Why is it_ _ **cold**_ _?_

"Now, your soul starts off weak, but it can grow strong if you get a lot of LV. What's LV stand for? LOVE, of course! You want LOVE, don't you?"

 _More than anything._

"Of course you do! I'll share some with you!"

Little white pellets suddenly appeared around Flowey.

"Around here, LOVE is shared through little white 'friendliness pellets'. Now, try to catch as many as you can!"

As they flew towards him, Shinji reached out to try to catch them. The moment they made contact with him, pain overcame his body and he dropped to his hands and knees. His chest ached and it felt like it was about to burst. He looked at Flowey and saw that his cheerful smile had turned into a malicious grin.

"You idiot." Flowey said. "In this world, it's kill or be killed. Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?!"

A ring of pellets appeared and surrounded Shinji. He was in too much pain to get up and run. Instead, he could only stare at Flowey with a blank expression.

 _Kill or be killed..._ _ **of course**_ _._

"Die."

The flower laughed as the ring of pellets slowly closed in on him. He lowered his head in resignation.

Out of nowhere, a hovering ring of fire appeared and closed in on the pellets. As soon as they had made contact, they both vanished. A fireball flew from the far end of the cavern and hit Flowey. He shrieked in pain and sunk into the earth. From the darkness, a lone figure stepped out.

She moved and looked like a human, yet she had white fur and a goat's head. She wore white and purple robes and had a worried look on her face. Shinji knew that she was the one who had saved him, though he didn't know why.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth." She said. "Do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

 _She saved me, but...is she trying to deceive me like that flower did?_

"Here, let me help you."

Toriel approached Shinji and knelt in front of him. She reached a hand out to his soul, but he backed away before she could touch it. She withdrew her hand and said sadly, "I see that you don't trust me. I understand. Just know that I only want to help you. I can guide you through the catacombs, if you want to follow me."

Toriel made her way back into the darkness. Shinji slowly got to his feet. He looked around and saw that there was really nowhere else to go. He looked at his hand, clenched it, then unclenched it. He noticed a sturdy looking stick on the ground and he instinctively picked it up, noticing how _right_ it felt in his grip. He looked up and decided that he had no choice but to follow Toriel...for now.

 _Real or not, I can't trust anyone here._ _ **No one**_ _._


	26. 1-2

**_Evangelion_ : silence.**

 ** _Undertale_ : determination.**

 **This fanfiction: kill.**

* * *

Shinji struck the dummy as hard as he could with the stick. A seam came undone and a bit of cotton fell out. Toriel stared in surprise.

"Ah, dummies aren't there for fighting!" She reprimanded. "They are for talking! We do not want to hurt anybody, do we?"

Shinji thought back to all the battles against the Angels, as well as the soldiers that killed Misato.

 _But you have to fight. If you don't fight, you die. That's how it is._

"Well, come now."

Toriel went on ahead. Shinji started to follow when he heard a "ribbit". He turned his head and saw a large frog hop towards him. Without thinking, he struck the stick, striking it across the head. It let out a short cry before it disintegrated into dust. He looked towards Toriel and saw that she was far away enough that she didn't notice what had happened.

 _See? You have to fight._

He briskly walked back to her. She stopped in a room full of spikes on the floor.

"This is the puzzle, but…" She looked at Shinji. "Here, take my hand for a moment."

She reached for his hand, but he took a step back. She lowered her hand and head at this action.

"Do you really not trust me? Well, follow close behind me."

She slowly made her way across the floor. The spikes retreated when she approached them. Shinji followed close, but not too close. When they reached the end of the room and the start of a long corridor, she stopped and turned to face Shinji.

"You are doing good," she said, "but now I have a difficult request to ask of you. I would like for you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this."

Toriel ran on ahead.

 _Does she think I can't handle myself?_

He walked down to the end of the corridor until he reached her.

"You have done well." She congratulated. "This exercise was meant to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and I'm afraid I have to leave you alone for a while. It's still dangerous, so please stay here. I'll give you a cellphone in case you need to call me for anything."

She took out an old cellphone and handed it to Shinji.

"Be good, alright?"

Toriel gave Shinji a small smile before leaving. He blankly looked at the cellphone.

 _It...it's real. So...I'm not imagining things? All of this is real? Why didn't Third Impact take them all out?_

He let the phone slip out of his grip.

 _...It doesn't matter. These monsters want me dead and Toriel...she seems nice, but I can't trust her. There's no one left I can trust. No one…_

He went on ahead. He barely took a step in the next room when a large bug flew close to him. He struck it down without a second thought. He continued moving forward, solving whatever puzzles came his way and striking down any monster that approached and tried to attack him.

After a while, he came across a house with a dead tree in front of it. Toriel stepped out of the house. She was on her phone and didn't notice Shinji until he took a few steps forward. She dropped the phone and ran up to him. She tried to hug him, but he stepped away from her.

"You're alright!" She exclaimed. "I was so worried when you didn't answer your phone! Are you hurt? No? What about your phone? Do you still have it with you?"

He gave no indication of an answer.

"W-well, you're safe, and that's all that matters. I should have never left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible of me to try to surprise you like this. Forgive me, my child." She forced a smile on her face. "Umm, so I guess I can't hide it any longer. Come inside!"

 _She...was worried?_

He followed her into her home. It was surprisingly cozy inside. There were lights, furniture, and few vases and paintings that gave it the homely touch. There were rooms to the right and left as well as a staircase leading down. Shinji sniffed the air and he could tell that something was baking.

"Do you smell it?" Toriel asked. "I'm baking a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I've also made dinner to celebrate your arrival. There's one more thing. Follow me."

She went to the right and stopped in front of a door. She said, "You also have your very own room. I hope you like it."

Shinji opened the door and looked inside. There was a simple bed, a drawer, and a box full of toys. It was obviously a room meant for a younger child.

"I'll let you make yourself at home. Come to the living room when you're ready to eat."

Toriel left Shinji alone in the room.

 _Food...and a room...she's not trying to trick me, is she?_

His stomach growled. Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember the last time he ate anything. He was actually surprised he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion at this point. He decided to go to the living room.

It had a lit fireplace, bookshelves, a dinner table, and a plush recliner. Toriel came back from the kitchen and placed two plates on the table, each with a slice of quiche on it. Once he smelled it, all doubts and suspicions left him. He sat down and began eating. The taste of egg, cheese, and bacon was beyond amazing. He finished it off in less than a minute.

"Oh my," Toriel said, "you must be really hungry. Would you like more?"

Shinji nodded. Toriel took his plate and went back to the kitchen. She shortly returned with a bigger slice of quiche.

"I'm glad you like the quiche," she said, "but make sure to leave room for dessert."

He wolfed down that slice of quiche, as well as the slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie that followed shortly after. It was all delicious and, as far as he could tell, it didn't feel like he had been poisoned.

 _Does she really care about me?_

"Did you get enough to eat?"

Shinji nodded.

"Why don't you get some rest? Tomorrow we can do all sorts of things. I can show you all my old books and my favorite bug hunting spot. I've even starting preparing a curriculum for your education. I know it may take some time to earn your trust, but I hope you will enjoy staying here."

 _...Stay here? The monsters won't come here...I think...and she does seem to care...like…_

 _"Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live. After all, you are alive, so you will always have the chance to be happy. As long as the sun, the moon, and the Earth exist, everything will be all right."_

 _Mom...is this my chance to be happy?_ Can _I be happy?_

Shinji stood up and went back to his new room. He set his stick off to the side, removed his shoes and turned out the lights before he climbed into bed. However, though he was tired, he could not fall asleep.

He heard the sound of footsteps descending down the stairs.

 _Oh...she didn't show me what was downstairs. What's she doing?_

He got up, switched on the lights, and put his shoes back on. He looked at the stick and decided to take it back with him, just in case. He quietly left his room and went to the staircase leading down.

He found himself in a long corridor. Up ahead, he saw Toriel turn a corner. Curious, he followed her. He turned the corner and saw Toriel standing in front of a large door. Hearing him, she turned around and blinked in surprise.

"My child," she said gently, "you shouldn't be down here. Go back upstairs and get some rest."

Shinji didn't move.

"Go back to your room." Her voice became stern. "There is business I must take care of here."

He tensed up and his grip on the stick tightened.

 _Why is she so hostile about this? What is she hiding?_

Toriel sighed and shook her head. "You won't listen, won't you? You must be wondering what's behind this door. This is the Ruins' only exit, and I'm going to destroy it. Every child that has passed through here has died. By destroying the exit, I can keep you safe. So, please, go back upstairs."

 _She wants to trap me here? That's...I can't live like that._

Shinji shook his head.

"You want to leave so badly? You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this."

Toriel raised her hands and ball of fire appeared in them. Shinji took a step back and raised his stick, ready to defend himself.

"Prove yourself. Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive."

She flung the fireballs at him. He dodged to the side, though one fireball grazed his shoulder. Though there wasn't a burn, he did feel pain in his soul. He also felt pain in his heart.

 _I knew it...she wants to hurt me, too. I can't trust anyone. No one. No one. **No one!**_

Shinji screamed and ran at Toriel. He swung his stick, but she caught it with both hands. As he tried to yank it out of her grip, it started smoldering. He let go of it and watched as the stick burned into ash within seconds.

 _All everyone wants to do here is hurt me! Why?!_

He ran at her again. He ignored the pain of the thrown fireballs and he launched himself at her, knocking her flat on her back. Painful memories overwhelmed him as he started punching her.

 _"Somebody, help me! Don't leave me alone! Don't abandon me! Please don't kill me!"_

 _"No."_

His eyes became watery and his vision blurred. Instead of Toriel, he now saw Asuka glaring coldly at him. He wrapped his hands around her throat and started strangling her.

 _"Nobody wants me, so they can all just die."_

 _Die._

 ** _Die!_**

Asuka's expression suddenly turned into that of shock. She slowly reached her arm up to Shinji's face. She lightly touched his cheek.

"Do...do you...really...hate...me...that...much?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and his hands harder. When her hand fell from his face, he opened his eyes. Asuka had turned back into Toriel. He observed her shocked expression for a few seconds before her body disintegrated into dust. The only thing left was a white soul. It trembled, fractured, then shattered.

 _Gone... **she's gone.**_

He heard familiar laughter and he lifted his head up. Planted in the ground a few feet away from him was Flowey.

"You're not really human, are you?" He asked. "No, you're empty inside, just like me. That look in your eye...Chara? That's you, isn't it?"

 _Chara? **That name…**_

"We're still inseparable, after all these years. Listen, I have a plan to become all powerful, even more powerful than you and your stolen soul. Let's destroy everything in this wretched world. Everyone, everything in these worthless memories...let's turn em' all to dust. Yes, that's a wonderful idea! Don't you think so, Chara!?"

Flowey laughed again and retreated into the ground. Shinji looked at the pile of dust that used to be Toriel. He felt hurt earlier, but now he felt nothing. He was growing numb to death and pain. He wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and took note of the feeling in his heart.

 ** _Emptiness._**


	27. 4-2

**_Evangelion_ : can't end it.**

 ** _Undertale_ : can't stop it.**

 **This fanfiction: can't bring it down.**

* * *

Shinji woke up from the nightmare with tears in his eyes. He stared at the ceiling and realized that he was still in Toriel's house. He wiped his eyes and got out of bed. The first thing he did once he left his room was look for Toriel.

He found her sitting in the living room next to the fireplace and reading a book. She lowered the book when she heard Shinji's footsteps.

"Shinji?" She asked. "You weren't asleep for that long. Is everything alright?"

"I…" Shinji sniffled. "I had a bad dream and...and…"

Toriel set the book down and extended her arms out. Shinji walked up to her and allowed himself to be hugged. The warmth and love of the hug got to him and the tears came pouring out.

"It's okay," Toriel said soothingly, "I'm here, Shinji. Everything is alright."

"A-all the monsters...and you…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he rested his head on her shoulder and sobbed. Toriel kept him in her embrace and rubbed his back soothingly until he stopped crying. He pulled back and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Toriel asked.

"...No." Shinji sniffled. "I don't want to think about it."

"Then, shall I make you a cup of tea? It always helps me when I'm upset."

"Yes, please."

Toriel stood up and went to the kitchen. Shinji sat close to the fireplace and did his best to think of something other than the nightmare.

 _I have to go back. Maybe Toriel can show me the way out._

She came back shortly with a cup of tea in her hand. She handed it to Shinji and he took a sip of it. It wasn't a tea that Shinji was familiar with, but it helped to calm him down.

"It's good." He said. "What kind of tea is this?"

"It's Golden Flower tea." Toriel answered. "It's actually my-one of my favorite teas."

Shinji took a gulp and set the tea down. "Toriel, I need to leave here. Can you show me the way out?"

Toriel frowned. "Leave? But it's dangerous out there. Besides, I thought you liked it here?"

"I...I do, but everyone is waiting for me."

"...Wait here. There's something I have to do."

Toriel briskly walked away. Shinji had a bad feeling about how she was acting, so he followed her into the basement. Alarm bells went off in his head when he saw that the basement looked exactly like the one in his nightmare.

 _It's the same, but I've never been here before...have I?_

"Go back upstairs." Toriel told him.

"Why? What's in here?"

"Up ahead is the end of the Ruins, and the way to the rest of the Underground. It is the only way out, and I'm going to destroy it."

"Destroy it?! Why?!"

"You're not the first child to come down here. Every one of them has met the same fate. They come. They leave. They die. If you leave the Ruins, they…Asgore, will kill you."

Shinji stopped.

"Kill me?"

"I am doing this to protect you, so please, go back."

But he didn't. He followed her until they reached a large door. Shinji suddenly became afraid.

 _This is almost like the nightmare!_

"Toriel!" He suddenly blurted out. "I don't want to fight you!"

She blinked in surprise. "How did you know what-?"

"This was my nightmare! I fought you and you died! I don't want to hurt you! I don't want you to die!"

"I...I don't want to hurt you either, but you have to prove to me that you can survive out there."

"I won't!"

Toriel's face bore an expression of confusion. Shinji went on, "I've actually met many monsters on the way here, and not all of them want to fight. I'm sure it's the same for the monsters beyond the ruins, too, and fighting isn't always the right way."

 _I don't want to be like the me in my nightmare._

"And...I have people waiting for me. I have to go back. Please, let me go."

"Shinji…" Toriel cracked a sad smile. "You're right; you do have others waiting for you, missing you. It would be selfish of me to keep you here. You have a kind heart, Shinji, but I want you to promise me something. It's true that not all monsters want to fight, but there are still those that want your soul, like Asgore. If you do find yourself in danger, promise me that you'll run."

 _Run…_

"...I promise."

Toriel walked up to Shinji and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug.

"Thank you. Take care of yourself, Shinji...and don't look back."

He nodded and she released him. She stepped aside, allowing him to approach the door. He opened it and crossed through the threshold to the unknown.

* * *

Even though she had trusted Shinji to go, Toriel still worried about him.

She sat back down in her favorite chair near the fireplace and tried to resume reading her book about snails. However, she couldn't focus. She thought about going to hunt for bugs at her favorite spot.

She was about to go get her bug net when she heard a knock on the door.

 _Who could that be?_

She walked to the door and opened it. She gasped when she saw what was at the door.

It was another human boy. Unlike Shinji, he had white hair and red eyes...as well as a distinct lack of clothing.

She immediately turned away and blurted out, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I wasn't expecting-I mean I didn't expect-!"

"I should be the one apologizing," the boy said, "I was in a rush and I actually forgot about clothing."

"Y-you must be cold. I might have something for you to wear. Why don't you come in?"

"That would be nice."

Toriel left the door open and walked briskly to her room. Her thoughts were flighty as she looked through her wardrobe.

 _Another human?! It hasn't even been an hour since Shinji left! And why was he in a rush-no, don't think about that now; got to find something for him to wear. What do I have that might fit him? Aha! This is too small for me now, but maybe…_

She picked out a set of robes and pulled it off the hanger. She went to the door and stuck the hand holding the outfit out. She said, "This might be a bit big on you, but try this."

"I will." She heard the boy respond.

She felt him take the clothes from her extended hand. She listened for him to enter another room to change into the robes, but she heard no footsteps. A minute later, she heard him say, "They are a little long, but they will do. Thank you, Toriel."

 _Huh? I never told him my name._

Toriel peeked out to see how the robes looked on the human. The robes hung loosely on his shoulders and the extra length of the fabric pooled around his feet. The sleeves were also long enough that she couldn't see his hands. An amused smile appeared on her face. To her, it looked like a child dressing up and pretending to be an adult.

 _...Just like he did with his father's clothes…_

"I could hem it, if you'd like?" Toriel offered.

"Thank you," the human said, "but as I've said, I'm in a rush."

 _He's speaking so casually, like it's not his first time seeing a monster._

"Um...pardon me for asking, but why are you in a rush?"

"There's someone I need to catch up to. He already left the Ruins, correct?"

"You mean Shinji? Is he your friend?"

 _Did he follow him from the surface?_

"Yes. Will you allow me to leave the Ruins so that I may find him?"

Toriel could tell that this was someone who knew what he was doing. She also felt some of her worries ease up in knowing that Shinji wouldn't be alone. She answered, "Yes. Follow me."

She was about to lead him to the basement, but he was already a few steps ahead of her. She followed him all the way to the exit of the Ruins. Just as he was about to leave, she called out, "Wait!"

He stopped and turned to face her. She asked, "Could you at least tell me your name?"

"I'm sorry," the boy gave an embarrassed smile, "I should have told you earlier. I'm Kaworu."

"Kaworu, you'll look after Shinji, won't you?"

"You don't need to worry; that was my intention the whole time. No matter what may transpire, I'll make sure that he's happy."

With those words, he faced forward and left the Ruins. Toriel was left puzzled, yet also a bit reassured.

 _He says he's Shinji's friend, yet he almost seems like a guardian angel. I hope they both make it through unharmed._


End file.
